Blur - Damon Albarn Reworks Confusing Opera

The British rocker initially opened Dr Dee at Britain's Manchester International Festival last year (11), but audiences complained the plot was difficult to follow.

Albarn has reworked the show with musicians at the English National Opera ahead of its launch at the London 2012 Festival and is hopeful viewers will now be able to understand the story, about an Elizabethan alchemist who dabbles in the occult.

He tells the Bbc, "There were aspects of it that I wasn't impressed with either (after the Manchester debut). Point of that (is) it was made in an eight-week period of work-shopping.

"I would sincerely hope that now we have someone who portrays and sings beautifully (the character of) John Dee, the story is far clearer and therefore, everything, hopefully makes more sense...

"We experimented, in a way, when we started in Manchester at the International Festival. We've had quite (a) long gestation period to finesse it."