Imago: Glyndebourne's new community opera

A Bohème for the digital age

From March 7 to 9, Glyndebourne staged its new community opera, Imago, a cross-generational work by composer Orlando Gough and librettist Stephen Plaice which poses the question: 'What if you could live a second life, look the way you want to look, and be whoever you wanted to be?'

The operatic answer to computer games Second Life and The Sims, Imago is set in a care home, where 80-year-old Elizabeth (Jean Rigby) has gone to die. Andy (Daniel Norman), an occupational therapist who visits the home, has devised a computer game allowing the inmates to launch their imago (or avatar) into an online world in any guise they choose.

Professional singers shared Glyndebourne's main stage with amateur soloists and a 70-strong chorus from the local community. The production was accompanied by the Aurora Orchestra and conductor Nicholas Collon, who were joined in the pit by talented young instrumentalists from the region.

Antony Craig attended the production: you can read his blog review and feature on the website, including interviews with Orlando Gough and Stephen Plaice.

To see pictures from the production, click the first image to launch the gallery below:

All photos © Robert Workman