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This weekend sees the start of the , with classical, opera, jazz and dance events taking place.

Smattered across three weeks from 6-22 October, the festival is bringing some top talent of the genres to Wales' second city, with lectures adding to the attractions too.

Some of the main musical events:

Friday 7 October, 7.30pm
The Lord Mayor's Reception Room, Guildhall
Festival lecture with Professor David Wyn Jones: Beethoven the Revolutionary, an illustrated talk examining Beethoven's complex musical personality.

Tasmin Little

Saturday 8 October, 7.30pm
Brangwyn Hall, Swansea
The with Thomas Dausgaard (conductor) and Tasmin Little (violin), playing Beetghoven's Overture: Egmont, Bruch's Violin Concerto No.1 in G and Brahms' Symphony No.4.

Fflur Wyn

Sunday 9 October, 3.00pm
St. Mary's Church, Swansea
with Steffan Morris (cello), Fflur Wyn (soprano) and Festival Ensemble to include Requiem by John Rutter and the first performance of a new work by Paul Mealor commissioned by the Friends of the Festival.

Monday 10 October, 2.30pm
Council Chamber, Civic Centre
Stravinsky's Firebird: with an eye to the concert on 13 October, Chris Weekes will examine the fairy-tale ballet which achieved immediate and lasting success for Stravinsky following its Paris première in 1910.

Monday 10 October, 6.30pm
Committee Room 3, Guildhall
Huw Tregelles Williams talks to about her career highlights prior to her organ recital at 7.30pm. The recital features William Mathias' Variations on Braint; Franck's Choral No 1 in E; Dupre's Verset on Ave Maris Stella; Flor Peeters' Toccata, Fugue and Hymn on Ave Maris Stella; Saint-Saens' Prelude and Fugue in B major; Liszt's Prelude and Fugue on B.A.C.H; Guy Bovet's Salamanca; Boellmann's Allegretto con moto and Lanquetit's Toccata in D.

Tuesday 11 October, 6.30pm
Committee Room 3, Guildhall
Huw Tregelles Williams talks to Geraint Lewis about his piano sonata, Anatiomaros, commissioned by Friends of the Festival, prior to its première (Brangwyn Hall, 7.30pm) which features Beethoven's Sonata No 23 in F minor; Opus 57 (Appassionata); Geraint Lewis' Anatiomaros; Liszt's Années de Pèlerinage and Wagner, transc. Liszt's Isolde's Liebestod

Thursday 13 October, 7.30pm
Brangwyn Hall, Swansea

´óÏó´«Ã½ National Orchestra of Wales with Thierry Fischer (conductor) and Stephen Osborne (piano). Programme includes Debussy's The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian; Ravel's Piano Concerto in G; Mussorgsky's Night on a Bare Mountain and Stravinsky's Suite: The Firebird (1919 version).

Saturday 15 October, 7.30pm
Brangwyn Hall, Swansea
Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra with Yuri Simonov (conductor) and Nikita Borisoglebsky (violin). Programme includes Rimsky-Korsakov's Capriccio Espagnol; Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D and Dvorak's Symphony No.9 in E minor (from the New World).

Sunday 16 October, 7.30pm
Taliesin Arts Centre, Swansea
Festival Jazz with Richard Rodney Bennett (piano) and Claire Martin (jazz vocalist).

Monday 17 October, 7.30pm
National Waterfront Museum
The Patti Legend: Simon Rees, Dramaturg at Welsh National Opera, explores the career and recordings of Adelina Patti and her connections with Swansea.

Elin Manahan Thomas

Tuesday 18 October, 7.30pm
Brangwyn Hall, Swansea
A Tribute to Vivaldi with Elin Manahan Thomas (soprano) and Florilegium (period instrument ensemble).

Wednesday 19 October, 7.00pm and Friday 21 October, 7.00pm
Grand Theatre, Swansea
Welsh National Opera with John Caird (director) and James Southall (conductor). Mozart's Don Giovanni: a new production sung in Italian with English and Welsh surtitles.

Thursday 20 October, 7.00pm and Saturday 22 October, 7.00pm
Grand Theatre, Swansea
Welsh National Opera with Giles Havergal (director) and Alexander Polianicheko (conductor). Rossini's The Barber of Seville sung in English with English and Welsh surtitles.