Sad news: Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes is "with great regret" pulling out of directing Don Giovanni at Glyndebourne next year - a production that would no doubt have been the opera event of the year. He said: "The decision ... has everything to do with my massive theatre commitments with my new company The Bridge Project, which has turned out to be much more time- and energy-consuming than I ever could have guessed, and has tied me almost permanently to New York." He has promised his debut opera to Glyndebourne, whenever that might be. Meanwhile, the not-inconsiderable team of director Jonathan Kent and designer Paul Brown are taking on the Mozart opera in his stead.