Guardian Music — Palace Theatre, ManchesterDamon Albarn discusses the making of the opera It is perhaps as much a disservice to call the 16th century alchemist and astrologer John Dee a Renaissance man as it is to refer to Damon Albarn as the former frontman of Blur... more info

The Telegraph — This Faustus often looks impressive but the audience is seriously short-changed on genuine thrills and chills. Rating: * * * more info

The Telegraph — The production eventually works powerfully in Sarah Esdaile's Rattigan revival. Rating: Deep Blue Sea: * * * / Doctor Faustus: * * * more info

Guardian Music — Barbican, LondonAlfred Schnittke wrote much that was uneven, but his vast output also contains extraordinary works – chief among them the Faust Cantata, first performed in 1983. Superbly fusing style and subject, it sets a 16th-century text about F... more info

Guardian Music — Cadogan Hall, LondonWorkaholic Richard Thompson is back with another new project. As curator of the Southbank's Meltdown festival in the summer, he performed in a remarkable variety of concerts, from Cabaret of Souls and 1,000 Years of Popular Music,... more info

Guardian Music — Sidmouth, DevonNic Jones and his groundbreaking 1980 album Penguin Eggs wields such a huge influence over the younger artists currently revitalising British folk that it was no surprise to find them falling over themselves to play a tribute concert i... more info

Guardian Music — Iconoclastic stage designer who always started from the idea, never the visual, and defended his ideas with ferocityFor some, opera describes private passions, voicing individual desires and tragedy. For others – especially directors and designers ... more info

Guardian Music — Royal Festival Hall, LondonCBSO Centre, BirminghamMind-blowing is one of those expressions best allowed out every five years at most. This quinquennial airing greets the UK premiere of Alfred Schnittke's extraordinary The History of D Johann Faustus,... more info

Guardian Music — Royal Festival HallBetween Two Worlds, the London Philharmonic's Schnittke festival, is very much a pet project of the orchestra's music director Vladimir Jurowski. The spine of its programme is the series of four orchestral concerts Jurowski is cond... more info

Altsounds — Twice winners of BEST GROUP at the Radio 2 Folk Awards (2008/2009), Lau are back with their highly anticipated second album, ‘Arc Light’, released March 30th 09 on Navigator Records (still a young label but firmly establishing it... more info