The Cleveland Orchestra will perform at Athens’ Megaron Concert Hall on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, in a concert featuring works by Franz Liszt, Bohuslav Martinů and Johannes Brahms. Led by conductor Franz Welser-Möst, the performance will mark the final season of their 25-year collaboration. Advance ticket sales are underway, with only a limited number of tickets remaining.
The concert will take place at 8:30 p.m. in the Christos Lambrakis Hall, the main concert venue of the Athens concert hall.
NEWSLETTER TABLE TALK
Never miss a story.
Subscribe now.
The most important news & topics every week in your inbox.
Internationally recognized for its distinctive “Cleveland sound,” the orchestra is known for its clarity and precision, which bring transparency and immediacy to large-scale symphonic works. The approach allows the music to achieve the intimacy and definition of chamber music, even with a full orchestra.
The Cleveland Orchestra
The orchestra developed this signature sound during the tenure of legendary conductor George Szell, who led the ensemble for many years. The innovative acoustics of Severance Hall, the orchestra’s home venue in Cleveland, also helped shape its distinctive style by allowing musicians to hear one another with exceptional clarity onstage.
The Athens program will open with Liszt’s symphonic poem Orpheus, a musical reflection on the power of music to move the human soul and overcome darkness.
The orchestra will then perform Martinů’s Symphony No. 2, composed in 1943 specifically for Cleveland’s Czech community. The orchestra gave the work its premiere, establishing a direct historical connection between the piece and the ensemble.
Franz Welser Möst
The evening will conclude with Brahms’ Symphony No. 2, a work inspired by the idyllic Austrian countryside around Lake Wörthersee. The symphony evokes tranquility, natural beauty and a deep sense of humanity.
The performance comes during the 25th and final season of the orchestra’s partnership with Welser-Möst, a collaboration that has left a lasting mark on the ensemble and the international symphonic music scene.
The Cleveland Orchestra will perform Wednesday, October 21, at 8:30 p.m. at Christos Lambrakis Hall, Megaron Concert Hall, Athens. Advance tickets are available, but only a limited number remain.