Peking Opera made a breakthrough in the 1970s when the traditional stage performance was blended with symphonic music. Over the weekend, a concert at Beijing's Poly Theatre helped audiences recall the innovative idea of combining east and west.

Segments from fifteen classics of the Peking Opera were presented in the concert pieces such as the Drunken Beauty and Judge Bao and the Qin Xianglian Case, as well as modern repertoires such as "The Red Lantern" and "Red Detachment of Women".

Members of the Youth Group of Beijing Peking Opera Theatre joined 12 Peking Opera masters in presenting the concert. The star-studded lineup included Chi Xiaoqiu, internationally renowned Cheng School maestro, and Tan Zhengyan, the seventh generation adult male artist of the Tan School.

Chi performed segments of Suo Ling Nang, or Jewelry Pouch, and a modern piece called the "Harbor".

And Yan Shouping, the master of Jinghu, a two-stringed fiddle which is played exclusively for Peking Opera, played the "Deep Night". Yan became famous for playing Jinghu in "Azalea Mountain" thirty years ago. That concert was the first attempt to combine Peking Opera and western music.

Master of Jinghu Yan Shouping said, "The attempt was very innovative because Chinese opera and western symphonic music are totally different art styles. The orchestra had to fit the opera's musical scale rules and try to approach the Chinese art. Anyhow, the symphony music effectively painted the atmosphere and made opera more impressive."

To those young opera singers who are not familiar with the modern pieces, it is also a good opportunity to expand their knowledge.

The concert also offered its audience the rare joy of experiencing together two classical art forms that were once considered worlds apart.

(CCTV May 21, 2009)