Wellington - United States crooner Andy Williams' Moon River proved more effective than Mozart's The Magic Flute in getting rowdy merry-makers off the streets in the early hours of the morning in a New Zealand experiment reported on Thursday.

As part of a trial aimed at reducing nighttime violence, the Hamilton City Council played different music between 3 am and 4 am on weekends to encourage revellers to move along.

Andy Williams, known for such hits as Moon River and Everything Is Beautiful, proved a more effective "environmental disruption" than Mozart, usually emptying the streets in 40 minutes, the Waikato Times reported. (dpa)