The prestigious Berliner Philharmoniker’s European Concert will take place at the Athens Concert Hall (Megaron Mousikis) on Labour Day (May 1), with Greek star violinist Leonidas Kavakos as the soloist, the Philharmonic announced on Thursday.

A press release by the Philharmonic states that the “European Concert could hardly be more European, taking the orchestra to Greece, the country the name ‘Europe’ comes from, and the cradle of democracy.”

Sir Simon Rattle will conduct the programme which will start at noon and will include works by Gioachino Rossini, Robert Schumann and Jean Sibelius.

“The concert opens with the overture to Rossini’s Semiramide – a work rich in original ideas and full of typical Rossinian liveliness which contrasts with the tragedy of love, hatred and intrigue that follows. The work marks a première for the Berliner Philharmoniker and its chief conductor as they have never performed Rossini together before,” the Philharmonic said.

For the event, the Athens Concert Hall will open its garden to audiences free of charge.

The concert will be broadcasted live to many countries and will also be shown online.