Dame Felicity Lott

I don't know, to a completely different personality from mine.

Not until latterly with the operetta things.

But the German...

After Rose and Cavalier, I did Intermezzo at Glyndebourne, but I did it in Munich in German with Hermann Prey.

It's a terrific piece, not done very often.

Hard to learn, my goodness, that was hard to learn.

So I went over for costume fittings earlier before we started the rehearsals and the lovely Bavarian lady who was designing the costumes...

I couldn't understand a word she said and she wouldn't understand me and I thought she must think this woman is out of her mind trying to do this German opera in Munich.

Oh, well, we kind of thought of things the same way.

I mean, Graham is the most extraordinary brain.

The walking encyclopaedia is Graham Johnson.

He came actually to play for one of my singing lessons at the Academy in, what, 1971?

1971?

And we hit it off then.

We were on the same wavelength.

That's right.

It was Graham.

I mean, I can't take any credit for it.

I was one of the first four.

It was Graham's idea.