11:40am | Beethoven and Strauss never met in person, but their compositions are introduced to each other on stage when Maestro Enrique Arturo Diemecke and Long Beach Symphony Orchestra present The Waltz King Meets the Concerto “Emperor” on January 21, 2012 at the Terrace Theater in Long Beach.

This is the third concert in LBSO’s 2011-2012 “Vienna Nights” Classics season, and features five pieces by “Waltz King” Johann Strauss II, including the memorable On the Beautiful Blue Danube, the unofficial Austrian anthem which can also be heard in American pop culture in settings from 2001: A Space Odyssey to The Simpsons.

Also on the program is Beethoven’s illustrious “Emperor Concerto” performed by Leonid Kuzman, winner of both the Stravinsky and the Franz Liszt International Piano Competitions.

To read program notes and listen to samples of the music, visit the LBSO’s Classics Concert Program Page on their website.

Tickets are $25 to $85. Student rush tickets are available for $10 with valid I.D., 90 minutes prior For more information, call (562) 436-3203, or visit LBSO.org.

All LBSO Classics Concerts take place at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center in the Terrace Theater, 300 East Ocean Blvd. in Long Beach. Concerts begin at 8 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Concertgoers are invited to enjoy live entertainment from local music ensembles in the lobby prior to the concert.