Winifred Lawson

In 1920, she made her operatic debut as Countess Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro, appeared in the first performances of Purcell's The Fairy-Queen in more than 200 years, and created the role of Guinevere in The Round Table.

In the mid-1930s, Lawson appeared for two seasons with the Vic Wells Opera in The Marriage of Figaro (as Susanna), Così fan tutte (Fiordiligi), Don Giovanni (Zerlina), The Magic Flute (Genius), Pagliacci (Nedda), Faust (Marguerite), and La bohème.

[3] The Times reviewer wrote that Lawson was one of three singers who "made us all feel the truth that there is nothing in the world quite so beautiful as Mozart's airs for the soprano voice".

[3] In February 1920 Lawson appeared as principal soprano with Old Vic colleagues in the first performances of Purcell's The Fairy-Queen since the composer's lifetime, receiving praise from the leading music critic Ernest Newman.

[6] Her other stage roles in 1920 and 1921 included one of the three Genii in The Magic Flute,[7] Marguerite in Faust,[7] the Princess in Nicholas Gatty's Prince Ferelon.

[7] On her return in February 1932 she appeared as Patience, Phyllis, Ida, Yum-Yum, and Casilda, until June of that year when she left the company for the last time.

[17] On the death of her mother in 1933,[7] Lawson returned to the stage, appearing for two seasons with the Vic Wells Opera in four Mozart operas: The Marriage of Figaro (as Susanna), Così fan tutte (Fiordiligi), Don Giovanni (Zerlina) and The Magic Flute (Genius); she also appeared in Pagliacci (Nedda), Faust (Marguerite), and La bohème.

[19] In 1947 she played Angelina in two BBC radio broadcasts of Cherubini's 1800 opera Les deux journées, conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham.

[21] The Times said that the book "gives a delightful picture of those happy days in the operas, with Henry Lytton, Bertha Lewis, Leo Sheffield and Darrell Fancourt".