Mexican drug opera: 'Only The Truth'

In Mexico City, a multimedia opera called Only The Truth recently opened, featuring as its heroine a marijuana smuggler who turns against her lover. The BBC describes it as "the first Mexican opera to deal directly with the country's drugs conflict."

"Out of the last 20 years, I would say, this is the one opera that is telling us a story that is not only on everyone's mind, but also in the headlines. It is how Mexico is perceived outside as well," he said.

The song on which the opera is based is a corrido, a type of Mexican ballad initially created to tell epic stories of heroes from the Mexican revolution a century ago.

In recent years, a whole sub-genre known as "narco corridos" has developed that narrates the adventures of the drugs barons.

Some have called for the narco corridos to be banned, but artists defend their freedom of expression.

The work premiered at Indiana University. Here's an interview with the composer: