Beijing's newly completed futuristic National Center for the
Performing Arts, formerly known as the National Grand Theater, will
begin its formal performance season on December 22.
An inaugural concert will be given by the China National
Symphony Orchestra (CNSO) and the Beijing Symphony Orchestra.
Soloist Li Yundi, a young Chinese pianist, will play a piece by
Maurice Ravel, said Deng Yijiang, deputy president of the National
Center for the Performing Arts, during a news briefing.
The Mariinsky Theater Opera Company (known until 1991 as the
Kirov), from St Petersburg, Russia, will perform Alexander
Borodin's Prince Igor on December 25. It will be the first foreign
art troupe to give a performance in the building.
According to Deng, between December 22 and April 6, about 6,000
Chinese and overseas artists will give 180 performances, including
operas such as Othello and ballets including Swan
Lake, Jewels and Le Corsaire.
Among international performers 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 art troupes such as the New York Philharmonic will
also perform.
According to Deng, these shows are expected to attract an
audience totaling 300,000 and more than 20,000 tickets have already
been sold for the opening season.
Despite its huge development costs and high profile, the
National Center for the Performing Arts is 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, he said.
"Our purpose is not just to make money, but rather to attract a
much wider audience to the National Center of the Performing Arts,
" he said.
However, the cost of tickets for the inaugural show is far
higher, ranging from 180 yuan to 1,080 yuan (from US$24 to
US$144).
According to a woman surnamed Ren, who answered the phone at the
theater, 2,000 tickets will be available for the opening
performance.
"We received more than 2,000 phone calls asking for ticket
reservations in just two hours after the office opened on Tuesday,
" said Ren.
The building has been controversial, with some describing the
arts complex designed by French architect Paul Andreu as out of
synch with its near neighbor, the Forbidden City. Others hail it as
a futuristic, signature building.
The building 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 on the National Grand Theater began in December
2001 and was completed in late September this year. Total
investment stood at 2.69 billion yuan (about US$336 million).
Commenting on the change of the building's English name, Ren
said, "Its previous English version - the National Grand Theater -
could easily cause confusion as we have three specialized venues:
the opera house, the concert hall and a theater. The change of name
was made after soliciting opinions from many experts."
Tickets for all shows are available via the center's website,
www.chncpa.org, which was launched on Tuesday, or from the center's
box office and regular ticketing agents. The English version of the
website is not yet completed.
Ren said all phone receptionists would be able to handle
requests in basic English.
(Xinhua News Agency November 14, 2007)
