By V. Krishnaswamy. Beijing, China, 05:32 PM IST

An opera called 'Princess Wencheng' would be jointly staged by the National Peking Opera Theatre and Tibetan Opera Troupe from Aug 21 to 23 as one of the key cultural performances during the Beijing Olympic Games, says Liu Can, spokesperson with the Meilanfang Grand Theatre.

The hybrid drama combines the two opera styles' most notable aspects in music, song, costume and other aspects.

'Instruments like drums and cymbals of Tibetan opera will be merged into the orchestra of Peking opera. There will also be duet and harmonic vocals featuring both singing styles,' Liu was quoted as saying in China Daily.

The Tibetan roles, including Songtsan Gambo, will be played by professional Tibetan opera actors in its native language.

By V. Krishnaswamy (Staff Writer, © IANS)