The egg-shaped futuristic National Center for the Performing Arts of China was officially opened Saturday evening with senior Communist Party leader Li Changchun and other officials at present at the inaugural concert.

A group of prestigious Chinese artists gathered at the center, formerly known as the National Grand Theater, for the concert given by the China National Symphony Orchestra (CNSO) and the Beijing Symphony Orchestra.

Li Yundi, a promising Chinese pianist who won the top prize of the Frederic Chopin International Piano Competition at the age of 18, gave his unique performance of Maurice Ravel's "Piano concerto in G major" at the concert.

The quartet by Lv Siqing, Huang Bin, Huang Mengla and Ning Feng, four Paganini International Violin Competition winners attracted thundering applauses.

A 200-member chorus impressed the audience with their performance of the famous Chinese folk song "Jasmine Flower."

The opening performance season of the grand theater will last till April 6. About 6,000 Chinese and overseas artists will give 180 performances, including operas such as Othello and ballets like Swan Lake, Jewels and Le Corsaire.

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 at the center.

Among famous names of international performers are 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.

The center administration expected the total audience to reach 300,000.

Deng Yijiang, deputy president of the center, said in mid November that more than 20,000 tickets have already been sold for the opening season.

Although the performances during the season are mostly classic ones at comparatively high price, the center said that it will sell tickets for as little as 30 yuan (US$4).

The Beijing New Year Concert to be held in the center on Jan. 1, will sell standing-room tickets, each 30 yuan, local media reported.

The architecture, designed by French architect Paul Andreu, triggered great controversy right after its blueprint was made known to the public. Some criticized it for being out of place as it sits near the Forbidden City while others favor its futuristic style.

The center boasts three large halls -- a 2,416-seat opera house, a 2,017-seat concert hall and a 1,040-seat theater.

The construction lasted from December 2001 to late September this year costing about 2.69 billion yuan (about US$336 million).

(Xinhua News Agency December 23, 2007)