Classical music

The Kiev National Opera Ballet will be performing "The Snow Queen" at the Athens Concert Hall in a series of shows from December 17 to 27. Choreographed by Aniko Rekhviashvili, the two-act ballet is based on the much-loved fairy tale penned by Hans Christian Andersen, with music by P.I. Tchaikovsky, Anatoly Lyadov, Anton Rubinstein, Edvard Grieg and Jules Massenet. Shows start at 4 p.m.

The Athens State Orchestra will perform works by Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel, Hans Pfitzner and Alexander Albrecht at the Athens Concert Hall on Saturday, December 17, and Sunday, December 18, as part of its Christmas concerts. The ensemble is led by Nikos Chaliasas. Admission ranges from 10 to 25 euros (5 reduced). The concert is set to start at 8.30 p.m.

The Athens Concert Hall will be screening a live broadcast of Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho's opera "L'Amour de Loin" from New York's Metropolitan Opera on Saturday, December 10. The opera is based on a libretto by Amin Maalouf. The cast is led by Susanna Phillips (Clemence), Eric Owens (Jaufre) and Tamara Mumford (Pilgrim). The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra is led by Susanna Malkki.

Bulgrian operatic soprano Sonya Yoncheva and violin virtuoso Vesko Eschkenazy are on track to get Grammy Awards in February, having been nominated in two classical music categories.

Iakovos Kolanian, Michalis Kontaxakis and Dimitris Kotronakis will perform works by Luigi Boccherini, Niccolo Paganini, Astor Piazzolla, Sergio Assad, Maximo Diego Pujol and Ion Ivanovic at the Philippos Nakas Conservatory in Athens on Friday, December 9. The recital is set to start at 8.30 p.m. and admission costs 10 euros (5 euros reduced).

The 13rd Istanbul Bach Days will be organized this year with the theme "Bach & Love."

The event will open Dec. 7 with the world-renowned violin virtuoso Andres Mustonen and the leading Estonian Glasperlenspiel Chamber Orchestra on the Grand Pera Emek Stage. The concert will present a selection from Bach. 

The Ergon Ensemble performs "In Vain," a composition by Austrian-born, US-based composer Georg Friedrich Haas at the Onassis Cultural Center, known as Stegi, in Athens on Tuesday, December 6. Admission ranges from 12 to 18 euros; special prices for students and groups. The concert is set to start at 8.30 p.m.

Turkish pianist İdil Biret's 75th birthday will be celebrated at a concert by the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra on Dec. 3 in Ankara.

At the concert, to be conducted by Rengim Gökmen, Biret will play Rachmaninov's "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op.43."

Xenia Tselinga (bayan), Despo Varoudaki (guitar/mandolin) and soprano Roxani Papadimitriou will perform works by Sergei Prokofiev that link Boris Pasternak with William Shakespeare, Federico Garcia Lorca with Friedrich Nietzsche and Edgar Allan Poe with Leo Tolstoy at St Paul's Anglican Church in Athens on Thursday, December 8. Starts at 8.30 p.m.

The Athens State Orchestra performs works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Francis Poulenc and Camille Saint-Saens at the Athens Concert Hall on Friday, December 2. Organist Thierry Escaich will join the ensemble, which is led by Michalis Economou. The concert is set to start at 8.30 p.m. while an introductory talk for ticket-holders will take place at 7.45 p.m.