Wien in the New Year

December 23, 2010 The day after the festivities have worn off and your double vision has finally disappeared, you might wonder what you should do next to commemorate the new year. It’s schmaltzy, but how about the time-honored Austrian hangover cure, the Strauss waltz? Even a neophyte to classical music will recognize the sashaying, sybaritic sound of “Tales From the Vienna Woods” or “The Blue Danube,” two of the most popular and familiar musical compositions in the world. For the 12th year, the Strauss Symphony of America wants to help you get your new year on with conductor Bernhard Schneider, a descendent of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire; soprano Melanie Holliday; tenor István Kovácsházi; and dancers from the National Ballet of Hungary heralding in the year 2011. We promise these waltzes, polkas, and operettas are easier to swallow than the handful of antacids you’ve downed all weekend. Sun., Jan. 2, 7 p.m., 2011 Originally published in the Miami New Timesin December 2010.