Critics hail Harborough district's "outstanding" new opera house

The stunning new 400-seat theatre, within stately home Nevill Holt Hall’s listed stable block, opened last Thursday night with the Mozart opera Le Nozze di Figaro.

Critics were taken aback by the beautiful new Opera House in the lovely Harborough countryside.

“The setting is absolutely exquisite” Mark Valencia, opera critic for What’s On Stage told the Mail.

“And the theatre is brilliant, with a beautiful, warm acoustic.”

“Absolutely wonderful” agreed Sam Smith from national music website MusicOMH.

George Hall of The Stage said: “Nevill Holt Opera has created and opened an oustanding new theatre.”

The building is an “indisputable triumph” said Rupert Christiansen of the Daily Telegraph.

But what about the opera itself?

“A happy inauguration for Nevill Holt Opera’s splendid new home”. said the Telegraph’s Christiansen.

“I thought it was inspired” Sam Smith told the Mail. “A lot of good ideas, very dynamic and generally polished. And the music was very strong.”

The opera started confusingly but finished with “clarity and zip” said Valencia of What’s On Stage, and “everyone’s singing was a delight”.

Nevill Holt’s artistic director Nicholas Chalmers told the Mail: “I feel very pleased with the audience’s reaction to what we achieved here.”

The new Opera House was the brainchild of Carphone Warehouse founder David Ross, and was built with private money.