Dame Felicity Lott

Sorry about the voice, people.

But I haven't warmed up.

Anyway.

I think I was just excited, you know.

I never had an ambition thinking, you know, well, at this age I want to be here or I want to sing at La Scala or I want to do this or I want to do that opera even, because mostly I didn't know them and probably still don't.

So it's very difficult to be teaching people.

They always say, I don't do teaching, I do coaching on things I know, basically, but...

They will say, you know, what do you think I ought to be singing?

And I have no idea, mostly.

Pathetic.

So I didn't have plans like that for myself.

I had the great fortune to eventually be accepted for something at Glyndebourne and I worked a lot with John Cox, who directed... Well, the first thing I did was Capriccio on the Glyndebourne tour.

John was wonderful for me because he's got music in his soul and he would have a reason for doing every movement and nothing would ever jar against the music and...

In that particular opera, you have to walk around the stage for about 20 minutes, not singing.

And you listen to this glorious music and you think, well, what shall I do now?

Where shall I go now?

And he had a kind of choreography of it.

And he would suggest that I would do things.

And he said, well, you obviously can't do that.

We'll have to find something else.