Candlelight: Tribute to Taylor Swift Brings the Eras to the MLK Library

There is a particular kind of quiet that settles over a room when the only light comes from candles. Conversations drop to a hush, phones slip back into pockets, and the space itself seems to lean in toward the stage. That hush is the whole idea behind Candlelight, the concert series that has turned some of Washington's most striking rooms into intimate listening spaces, and this fall it turns its attention to one of the most beloved songbooks of the past two decades. Candlelight: Tribute to Taylor Swift runs from September 18 through November 6 at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, and it may be the most inviting way yet to hear these songs.

For anyone who hasn't been, a Candlelight concert is exactly what the name promises. A venue is filled with hundreds upon hundreds of flickering candles, the house lights come down, and a small ensemble of classically trained musicians performs a curated program of about an hour. The series has become a phenomenon in cities around the world because it strips away everything that gets between a listener and the music. There are no video screens, no pyrotechnics, no arena acoustics. There is just the warm glow, the room, and the players. Programs range from Vivaldi and Mozart to jazz standards and tributes to contemporary artists, and the settings are chosen with care, often historic churches, grand halls, and, in this case, the beautifully renovated downtown library at 901 G Street NW. Part of the appeal is that you never quite know what a familiar building will feel like once it is lit only by candlelight, and the answer is almost always transformative.

The Taylor Swift program is a natural fit for the format. Her catalog is built on melody and narrative, and those are precisely the qualities that a string quartet can draw out. When the Listeso String Quartet takes on songs like Love Story, Cardigan, Enchanted, Anti-Hero, Wildest Dreams, Lover, Shake It Off, and Cruel Summer, the arrangements reveal the architecture underneath the pop production. The sweeping romance of Love Story becomes something closer to a chamber piece. The moody restraint of Cardigan feels right at home in a candlelit room. Even Shake It Off, a song engineered for stadium bounce, finds a new kind of energy when it is passed between two violins, a viola, and a cello. Longtime fans will hear these songs as if for the first time, and listeners who have only caught them on the radio will understand why they have endured across so many eras.

There is also something fitting about hearing this music in a library. Swift is, above all, a storyteller, and her songs are dense with characters, settings, and turns of phrase. Surrounded by books and candlelight, the narrative heart of her writing comes to the fore. The program moves through the arc of her career, from the early country-tinged ballads to the synth-pop peaks to the introspective folk of her more recent records, and the effect is a kind of guided listening tour through one of the defining pop careers of the century.

The practical details are as friendly as the concept. Each performance lasts about sixty minutes, which makes it an easy addition to a date night or an evening out with friends before dinner. The show is open to ages eight and up, so it works for families with young fans, and the library is wheelchair accessible and well served by public transit. Doors open before the concert and close shortly before it begins, so arriving early is wise, and seating is assigned on arrival within your ticket zone. Tickets start at $42.50 and are available through Fever, with several zones to choose from depending on how close to the candles you want to be. It is worth noting that the concert is a tribute performance and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the artist, which is precisely the point. This is Swift's music reimagined by musicians who love it, presented in a setting that asks nothing of you but to sit back and listen.

Candlelight: Tribute to Taylor Swift plays the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library from September 18 through November 6. To see all the Candlelight shows in the DC area, visit our Candlelight Shows In DC page.