Beijing Weather

45F ~ 66F
Sunny To Cloudy
SW at
View Weather Detail

BEIJING'S new futuristic National Center for the Performing Arts, formerly known as the National Grand Theater, will begin the formal performance season Dec. 22.
   

Among international performers who will be appearing will be conductors Valery Gergiev and Seiji Ozawa, and sopranos Kathleen Battle and Kiri Te Kanawa. Apart from the Mariinsky Theater of Russia, other famous foreign orchestras, such as the New York Philharmonic, will also give performances.These shows were expected to attract audiences totaling 300,000 and more than 20,000 tickets had already been sold for the opening season.


Despite the huge development costs and high profile, the National Center for the Performing Arts was not just for the wealthy, he said.The center will sell tickets for as little as 30 yuan (US$4) and the average ticket price will be lower than that for a regular show in Beijing. However, the cost of tickets for the inaugural show is far higher, ranging from 180 yuan to 1,080 yuan.


The building has been controversial, with some describing the arts complex designed by French architect Paul Andreu as out of keeping with its near neighbor, the Forbidden City. Others hail it as a futuristic, signature building. The certer, which is to the west of Tian'anmen Square, boasts three large halls - a 2,416-seat opera house, a 2,017-seat concert hall and a 1,040-seat theater. Construction of the National Grand Theater began in December 2001 and was completed in late September this year. Total investment was 2.69 billion yuan.