Concerts at Nevill Holt Festival - an array of world class talent in an exquisite intimate setting

On Friday 14 June it is party time at Nevill Holt as soprano Mary Bevan, tenor Nicky Spence and Joseph Middleton join forces for an evening of songs by Noël Coward and his contemporaries. Three of the UK’s most popular recitalists gather for an imagined party where they bring to life a colourful cacophony of characters. By turns touching, intimate, riotous, thoughtful, funny and heartbreaking, this fictional salon will explore all aspects of life and be sure to entertain its many guests. The production has a setting by legendary Pop Artists Allen Jones with lighting by award winning designer Charles Balfour.

Saturday 15 June will see the world premiere of new opera The Devil’s Den. A tale of superstition and sacrifice rooted in English folklore, concerning a child, a rabbit, a devil, a druid and their mysterious connection to a celebrated “dolmen”, or ancient burial chamber. A chorus of Morris dancers punctuate the drama, leading us through moments of exuberance, severity, tenderness and into the hysterical ruckus of a charivari.

Shadwell Opera is one of the UK’s leading contemporary opera voices, showcasing the most exciting young performers, composers and creatives of their generation. The opera is conducted by Finnegan Downie Dear who has been receiving rave reviews for his work on the Festival’s production of The Magic Flute.

Sunday 16 June will feature a truly thrilling concert for Festival goers, with two of the world’s most celebrated artists: Sarah Connolly and Imogen Cooper. They perform songs by Brahms, Hugo Wolf, Carl Loewe and Henri Duparc, before concluding with Francis Poulenc’s richly evocative Banalités. Sarah Connolly has sung in all the great opera houses around the world and Imogen Cooper has appeared as soloist alongside many of the world’s most renowned orchestras. Together, here, they give what will undoubtedly be their most intimate performance - allowing audiences the rare opportunity to to see them perform up close and personal.

British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor is internationally recognised for his sonorous lyricism and understated brilliance at the keyboard. For Nevill Holt Festival on Thursday 13 June, his recital will traverse from the most intimate and inward-looking Brahms Intermezzi to the huge canvas and high drama of Chopin’s last Sonata. On Sunday 16 June at 11.30am the brilliantly talent Jeneba Kanneh-Mason will perform an exciting programme, ranging from Scarlatti to Prokofiev, demonstrates the full range of Jeneba’s artistry, as well as showcasing a rarely heard work by the pioneering African American composer William Grant Still.

All concert goers are able to enjoy the extraordinary grounds of Nevill Holt which feature the estate’s renowned collection of 20th century architecture and some of the most ravishing views in Leicestershire.

Full details from www.nevillholtfestival.com