The curtain has gone up on the promising 2009-10 music season of the Hangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra, which debuted in July.

The first concert of the season last Friday featured Verdi's "Nabucco Overture," Donizetti's duet from "Lucia di Lammermoor," Mascagni's intermezzo from "Cavalleria Rusticana," Puccini's "Che Gelida Manina," "Mi Ciamo Mimi", "Love Duetto" from "La Boheme," and "Symphony No. 1 in C Minor."

The magnificent Hangzhou Grand Theater

Yang Yang, principal conductor of the Hangzhou orchestra, cooperated with soprano Zhang Liping of the Central Conservatory of China and famed tenor Zhang Jianyi.

The performance was sold out and the appreciative audience numbered 1,500. At the end, there was a standing ovation.

Audience etiquette was a problem, however, starting at the very beginning as Yang lifted his baton. A latecomer walked across the front row, her high heels making a very audible clicking noise.

Yang immediately stopped and stared at the woman until she sat down and everyone stopped murmuring about her rude behavior.

During the performance, some impolite behavior continued: there was considerable chatting, throat-clearing, even children screaming.

"Newspapers and leaflets both advise audiences how to behave in concerts, but some people just don't listen," says one music lover surnamed Zhao. "I suggest the theater put rules of etiquette on an LED screen near the stage."

Ticket prices of the new season performances were very low - 15 yuan (US$2.2) to 120 yuan - an effort to attract more people.

Soprano Zhang Liping of the Central Conservatory of China and famed tenor Zhang Jianyi acknowledge the applause from the audience.

In the Hangzhou Grand Theater, 15-yuan tickets are usually for Chinese operas, and are only offered to students and senior citizens.

It was the first time that low-price tickets were sold for a Western musical performance.

"We don't want to make music so exalted that it's beyond most people's reach," says Deng Jingshan, director of the orchestra. "Music belongs to the mass."

The Hangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra was established as an independent, non-profit institution subsidized by Hangzhou municipal government. Around 8 million yuan has been invested in musical instruments.

Each performance costs 170,000-180,000 yuan, Deng says.

Ticket sales account for relatively little income.

The orchestra numbers 76 performers. Around one third of them graduated from music conservatories in the United States, the United Kingdom, German, Austria and other countries. Another third hold master's and doctoral degrees and have won international competitions.