The China Philharmonic Orchestra performs at Megaron Athens Concert Hall in Athens, Greece, Oct. 18, 2019. The China Philharmonic Orchestra wowed the Greek audience on Friday night with a stunning concert here, the first stop of their Mediterranean tour. (Photo by Marios Lolos/Xinhua)

ATHENS, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- The China Philharmonic Orchestra wowed the Greek audience on Friday night with a stunning concert here, the first stop of their Mediterranean tour.

The concert held at the Megaron Athens Concert Hall opened with instrumentalists playing the songs "Spring" and "At Sunset" from the Four Last Songs of Richard Strauss with Huang Yi as the conductor.

The musicians continued with Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's "Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64," one of the most popular violin concertos, which received a warm applause from the audience.

The concert ended with Czech composer Antonin Dvorak's cheery "Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88."

"We are impressed," Nancy Angelaki, a music teacher, told Xinhua. "They perform in such a manner, expressing strong emotions. We have a wonderful time, the entire family. It is a great evening and we hope to see more such events."

She said a colleague had informed her about the concert and it was the first time she saw Chinese musicians performing in Athens. She would like to visit China and learn more about traditional and contemporary music.

Athanasia Kamzola, a lawyer who studied music and is learning Chinese, was also among the audience. She had invited two of her friends to the concert to introduce them to Chinese culture.

"I love Chinese culture so much. It was amazing," she said. "I am impressed by the entire orchestra and the maestro of course was superb. Thank you for a beautiful evening," she said.

Within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, Greece and China have organized several events in recent years to promote cultural exchanges between the two peoples.