Lillian Watson (born 4 December 1947 in London) is a soprano[1] whose international career on the concert stage and in the opera house took her to theatres and venues around the UK and throughout Europe; she also made a number of recordings of parts of her repertoire and appeared on film.
[2] Watson studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and at the London Opera Centre, with private vocal tuition from Vera Rózsa and Jessica Cash,[2] and was spotted by the conductor Raymond Leppard when he came to coach singers in a student production of The Coronation of Poppaea, asking her to join some recordings of Monteverdi madrigals where she sang alongside Heather Harper, Luigi Alva and others.
After her debut there as Papagena opposite Thomas Allen as Papageno,[3] her professional career got underway in Wales for four seasons from 1970 as a contract artist, singing Wanda in The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein, Tebaldo in Don Carlos, Gianetta in The Elixir of Love as well as Despina, Blondchen and Adina.
[5] She returned regularly to the Royal Opera; in her first 25 years there she made 179 appearances, progressing from roles such as Barbarina, Gianetta, Papagena and the Young Girl in Lulu to Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier (1989), The Cunning Little Vixen (1990 and 1993), the Italian Soprano in Capriccio (1991), Ismene in Mitridate, re di Ponto (as well as covering one performance as Aspasia) and Bella in The Midsummer Marriage (1996).
[3] Engaged at a major European house to sing Despina, four days before the opening the conductor and producer fell out and she was asked to substitute Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro.
[2] Having appeared in a TV production in 1983, Watson joined ENO's 1985 Orpheus in the Underworld at its first cast changes; her "sparkling Eurydice, a captivating portrayal sung with effortless, bright tone right up to the top of her range and delivered with delectable Gallic insouciance"; the critic continued that her "Bacchic solo, a skilful run along the tightrope that separates opera from cabaret, was all that Offenbach is, or should be, about".
She appeared as Elida in a rare revival of Spoliansky's 1932 satirical department store musical Send for Mr Plim at the BOC Covent Garden Festival in 2000.
With her interest in the dramatic side of opera, she stated that she prefers to have an extensive rehearsal time when everyone is working together, rather than the situation where big stars "come in and walk to the front and do their piece as we had in Ballo".