Weekly culture & leisure guide (Jan 3-10)

Year rolls over to Beethoven

The Beijing Symphony Orchestra and the Tokyo Opera Singers will team up to  perform Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No 9 at the National Center for the Performing Arts on Jan 6, opening the 20th Meet in Beijing Arts Festival, one of the largest annual art festivals in the Chinese capital. The arts festival, running from Jan 6 to Feb 4, will see more than 700 artists from 11 countries gather in Beijing.

Symphony No 9 is the last complete symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven, finished in 1824 when the composer had become completely deaf. The work is performed by orchestras around the world and is widely considered a symbol of hope, unity and fellowship.

Under the baton of Japanese conductor Michiyoshi Inoue, Chinese tenor Shi Yijie, Chinese mezzo-soprano Zhu Huiling, Japanese baritone Takaoki Onishi and Japanese soprano Eri Takahashi will join in the concert to perform the choral finale.

Click here to learn more.

If you go:

19:30, Jan 6,Concert Hall, National Center for the Performing Arts, 2 West Chang'an Avenue, Xicheng district. 010 -6655-0000. 北京市西城區西長安街2號, 國家大劇院