Classical Pick of the Week: Los Angeles Bach Festival

The Original Rock God's name was J.S. Bach. Wait, I take that back, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina may have been the first Rock n' Roll god back in the Renaissance period, but then you might say LAist is getting a little weird on you. So Bach it is.

Today marks the official opening of the 74th Annual Los Angeles Bach Festival, taking place in the Gothic sanctuaries of the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles. The church says their architecture sacred surroundings is the type in which Bach originally composed for. I'm sure it is magnificent, but then again, when is Bach not?

The week-long festival features a myriad of works and instrumentalists including the famous Paul Jacobs on organ in today's 4:00 p.m. concert. Bach's powerful Christmas Oratorio will close the festival, an interesting choice for Halloween season (we personally enjoy this piece driving on a snowy day in the urban streets of Chicago or New York, but hey, palm trees it is).

The 74th Annual Los Angeles Bach Festival
October 20 - 28 (concerts at various times, including mid day concerts) | See Program

First Congregational Church of Los Angeles (in Wilshire Center)
540 S. Commonwealth Ave. (at 6th Street)
Los Angeles, CA 90020-1298

Photo of the Goldberg Variations by Cane Rosso via Flickr