ATHENS – The Friends of Μusic Society announced the upcoming annual Christmas concerts at the Megaron- Athens Concert Hall will begin with the Johann Strauss Ensemble performing the Viennese Waltzes, bringing the festive music of Vienna to Athens, Saturday, December 11, 8:30 PM, and Sunday, December 12, 7 PM.

The charismatic conductor Russell McGregor and the outstanding soloists of the Johann Strauss Ensemble, with their musical brio, skill and authentic performances in the waltzes and polka composed by the Strauss family, will once again dazzle the audience with their concerts in the flower-decorated Christos Lambrakis Hall.

In this year’s program, three generations of the famous Austrian family are represented, with compositions from the early 19th century in the works of the family’s patriarch Johann Strauss, the middle of the 19th in the works of Johann’s younger children, Joseph and Edward, and the middle of the 20th century in the works of Edward Strauss the Younger.

• The melodies of the Orchestra are enhanced by wonderful Venetian songs, performed by the gifted soprano coloratura Vassiliki Karagianni.

The Johann Strauss Ensemble Chamber Orchestra was founded in 1985 by the outstanding musicians of the Austrian Bruckner Orchestra and very quickly gained international fame with tours in all major European cities including Paris, London, Madrid, Rome, Brussels, Berlin, Zurich, Hamburg, Salzburg, and Vienna, as well as in Japan, Russia, and Australia. The orchestra is distinguished for its rich discography, while the violinist Russell McGregor has been its director since 2003.

Characteristic of Johann Strauss Ensemble concerts is the interpretation of Viennese music in the way that Johann Strauss first established, as he was at the same time the soloist and conductor of the orchestra, thrilling the audience with his dance and melodic music.

Tickets are available online: megaron.gr and by phone: +30 210 7282 333.