This Labor Day Weekend, join us for a world-wide celebration of the life and music of Johann Sebastian Bach. The year 2000 marks the 250th anniversary of the great German composer's death, an event marked by performances of his best works in gala concerts around the globe.

And NPR will take you there, beginning in Bach's city of Leipzig, where he achieved his greatest renown as the Cantor of the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. We'll hear the current occupant of Bach's organ loft, Organist Ullrich Boehme, lead off with performance of the mighty Toccata in D minor on Bach's own organ, freshly restored for the occasion. After that, we'll be off for a world-wide concert, including performances by the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra of the Brandenburg Concertos; pianist Daniel Barenboim plays the Goldberg Variations; the "St. John Passion" by the Bach Collegium of Japan, performed in concert in Tokyo, the "Art of the Fugue" by the Kuijken Quartet in Holland, and a "Swinging Bach" crossover concert featuring Bobby McFerrin and the Turtle Island String Quartet.

The programming was put together by the German television production company EuroArts. For the full schedule and program descriptions, check out their 24 Hours Bach Web site.