Waltzes and polkas by Johann and Josef Strauss, as well as other lively works, signed by famous names, open the musical year of 2017, through a programme offered to the public by the Symphonic Orchestra of the Philharmonic, conducted by Cristian Neagu, on the evenings of the 5th and the 6th of January, at 19:00, at the Arad Military Center.

The Strauss Gala is dominated by great concert waltzes – Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald, Künstlerleben, Lagunen Walzer or An der schönen blauen Donau and colorfully sprinkled with the quick polkas of Johann and Josef Strauss brothers – Éljen a Magyar!, Jokey Polka, Champagner Polka or Sport Polka.

The evening’s group of dances include the musical joke Perpetuum mobile, the high-speed Banditen Galopp and the elegant Tarantella, opposites that inspired for decades Vienna’s ballrooms and salons.

The spirit and glamour of the traditional gala imprints a very special note to the New Year celebration, and brings back one more time the beauty, energy, humor and hope “encrypted” in the finest dances of the 19th century.