BEIJING, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- The semi-staged version of the contemporary opera "Written on Skin" was performed at the Beijing Poly Theater on Tuesday.

Jointly developed by British composer George Benjamin and playwright Martin Crimp, this was the opera's first full-length performance in Asia. The performance was upon the invitation of the Beijing Music Festival.

The opera, premiering at the 2012 Aix-en-Provence Festival, was inspired by a 13th-century tragic story of a nobility who held a grudge towards his wife due to her secret affair with a young troubadour.

Different from the usual performance, the semi-staged version of the opera puts more emphasis on the musical performance and is supplemented by only a limited amount of acting.

For the musical performance, Benjamin introduced two ancient musical instruments to the modern orchestra, the viola da gamba and glass harmonica, thus creating a unique musical atmosphere.

One of the most praised contemporary operas, "Written on Skin" has been staged over 80 times since premiering in 2012.