Lang Lang (Right)

Li Yundi

Additional musical treats include a pipe organ tune by Chinese composer Ye Xiaogang and Beethoven's rarely performed Fantasia.

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.

A who's-who of international performers is scheduled to appear this season, including conductors Valery Gergiev and Seiji Ozawa, and sopranos Kathleen Battle and Kiri Te Kanawa.

In addition to the Mariinsky Theater of Russia, famous foreign art troupes, such as the New York Philharmonic, will take the stage.