Dame Felicity Lott, who excelled in both opera and song repertoire, has passed away at the age of 79.
Born in Cheltenham, England, the soprano trained at the Royal Academy of Music in London. She made her operatic debut in London in 1974 in Handel’s TOLOMEO, and went on to become revered for her Strauss and Mozart, and beloved for her concert and recital engagements, working with such conductors as Carlos Kleiber, Sir Simon Rattle, Bernard Haitink, Zubin Mehta, Andre Previn, Kurt Masur, Franz Welser-Möst, Wolfgang Sawallisch, and Sir Andrew Davis, and pianists Graham Johnson, Malcolm Martineau, and Roger Vignoles. She was made a CBE in the 1990 New Year Honours and, in 1996, was created a Dame Commander of the British Empire. In February 2003 she was awarded the title of Bayerische Kammersängerin. Most recently she was made Doctor Honoris Causa of the University Paris Sorbonne.
I saw Dame Felicity at The Met as Contessa Almaviva conducted by Carlos Kleiber) and the Marschallin (conducted by James Levine); these were her only two Met roles. I also had the great pleasure of hearing her sing Chausson’s Poème de l’amour et de la mer at a concert at UConn in Storrs, Connecticut; I still recall her gorgeous aquamarine gown and beautifully coiffed hair.
While she was in New York City for her Met Contessas in 1998, she popped into the opera room at Tower Records one afternoon where I was working. I let her browse for a few moments, then walked up beside her and started singing – very softly -“There Is Nothing Like A Dame“; she burst out laughing, and we had a lovely chat.
Dame Felicity gave her last recital in Paris, in 2025.
Listen to the soprano singing Schubert’s Gretchen am spinnrade, with Graham Johnson at the piano, here.
~ Oberon
Oberon's Glade 