Chorus.fm — Luke Allen (formerly of *Consider The Thief* (http://www.myspace.com/considerthethief)) is the new drummer (http://twitter.com/mozartseason/status/15280575392) for Mozart Season (http://www.myspace.com/mozartseason). Submitted by shawnPLAGUES more info

Guardian Music — Musical progressives have often been high-mindedly disapproving about arias – the public, though, remains obdurately enrapturedDecades have passed since any composer wrote an operatic aria that has wormed its way inside the public's affections in t... more info

Guardian Music — Royal Opera House, LondonHow much is Le Nozze di Figaro about revolution? It's a question posed by David McVicar's tricky production of Mozart's comedy, which takes a work usually seen as prophetic of the French revolution and relocates it to the yea... more info

Guardian Music — Sewage operator believes chords and cadences of compositions speed up way the organisms break down biomassMozart has been credited with everything from increasing the intelligence of unborn babies to boosting the milk yield of cows. Now the head of a... more info

Guardian Music — The Dude's US tour with the LA Phil has underwhelmed, while LA Opera's Ring cycle finds critics in and outside the theatreIt had to happen. The critical backlash against Gustavo Dudamel has begun in earnest in the States, with reviewers across Americ... more info

Guardian Music — Lost: The Final Journey | Unreported World | The Marriage Of Figaro | Mastermind | Glee | Dunkirk: The Forgotten HeroesLost: The Final Journey7pm, Sky1A Lost marathon to wrap it up: first a two-hour recap, then the two-and-half-hour finale, followed ... more info

Guardian Music — Robert Thicknesse's criticism of opera confuses the luxurious fripperies that surround the spectacle with the thrilling, life-changing art at its heartRobert Thicknesse accuses opera – or rather, the opera world – of indulgent incontinence. Some ... more info

Guardian Music — Acclaimed German soprano with a second career in televisionThe soprano Anneliese Rothenberger, who has died at the age of 83, was one of the most distinguished and popular German singers of the postwar period. Her career was founded initially on the ... more info

Guardian Music — An opera singer chosen by Nelson Mandela to perform at the opening ceremony of the World Cup has died after a sudden illness.Siphiwo Ntshebe, 34, a tenor dubbed the "black Pavarotti", died yesterday from meningitis. He had been admitted to hospital ... more info

Guardian Music — After a performance in Berlin just 10 days ago, Abbado has cancelled his return to La Scala. Meanwhile, Rattle's astonishing St Matthew Passion is onlineCouple of quick aftershocks and afterthoughts from Berlin: news that Claudio Abbado has cancelled... more info