“Welcome to the 2013 Festival, where this year's international programme has a Russian emphasis and where we also celebrate the bi-centenaries of Wagner and Verdi, and the centenary of Britten, arguably the greatest opera composers of the 19th and 20th centuries respectively. We also continue our focus on outstanding young musicians from home and abroad and this year feature the piano in more guises than ever. So get ready for two weeks of world class music making, forty-five events in a dozen locations in Newbury and its surrounding area of outstanding natural beauty, so much to enjoy and look forward to!”