http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/5023900.stmMongolia's first rock opera - a tribute to Genghis Khan - is being performed in the country's capital, Ulan Bator.The rock opera is one of a number of events marking 800 years since Mongolia's foundation.
Lyricist Dojpalem Ganzorig said he wanted to show the country's founder - viewed as a ruthless conqueror by much of the world - in a different light.
"He was a good husband, a good son, and a good friend and I wanted to show him that way," he said.
"Not as a tyrant or someone with a bad character which is how some people see him."
The production tells how Genghis Khan united the Mongol tribes and became their leader against the odds.
It combines operatic singing with a rock beat, although traditional Mongolian elements like throat-singing and the horse-head fiddle also feature.
Ganzorig, the guitarist with rock band The Black Wolves, called the rock opera genre "the height of rock".
"I find it really satisfying to play rock with a full orchestra," he said.
"To me, that's real music."
― Brigadier Lethbridge-Pfunkboy (Kerr), Saturday, 27 May 2006 22:29 (nineteen years ago)
that sounds great I wanna see it. I was in Mongolia in 1990 i went to a festival In the Hinti Plains. A festival held every one hundred years in honour of Genghis Khan.,10,000 mongols camping out, wrestling, archery, throat singers, horse racing, even a disco, it was one the most amazing experiences of my life. The Mongolians have a rich complex history Gengis is just part of it a big part but .Anyway I wanna be there for that gig.
― peat moss, Tuesday, 30 May 2006 08:25 (nineteen years ago)
If the theme song isn't "Genghis Khan", this'll be a disappointment.
― Tuomas (Tuomas), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 08:33 (nineteen years ago)