MY LIST Alexandra Lowe
SOPRANO Alexandra Lowe is one of Britain’s up-and-coming opera singers. Critically acclaimed for performances at Covent Garden, Glyndebourne and across Europe, Alexandra has just made her debut with Opera North, singing Fiordiligi in their production of Cosi fan Tutte. She released her debut solo album, Le Voyage, last year.
I’m currently reading: Not a lot, I have to confess, because things are so incredibly busy at the moment. In an ideal world, I’d love to have the time to curl up on the sofa and to read a good book, but I always seem to be preparing, singing, travelling. Looking back, I don’t think that I encountered much literature when I was young – we lived on a boat in Majorca, so I went to school over there, and I spoke English at home with mum and dad, and Spanish when I was studying and the emphasis in the lessons in Spain was on grammar rather than reading any ‘set book’. When I became a professional singer, I discovered that some languages are easier than others – French and Spanish are great, and then the next step up is German, and after that Russian. I’m currently learning the role of Tatiana in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, and that’s an amazing experience.
I’ve been listening to: Oddly enough, very little opera, and far more folk, or pop, or alternative, or whatever is on the radio as I drive to or from an appearance or an engagement. There’s drum and bass, as well, and it’s all to do with switching my brain off. If I’m appearing in something – like Cosi fan Tutte – then it tends to remain in my head as I’m falling asleep, and it’s a bit like studying it afresh. A space to relax, if you like. Sopranos that I admire and like? Well Kiri te Kawana, of course, and the sublime Renee Flemyng. Two glorious voices, each with their own unique way of interpreting an aria or a song.
On TV, I’ve been watching: The Gentlemen, which is a lot of fun, and just about anything that has witches, vampires and crime in it. If there’s some romance in it, then it’s all the better. Oh, and I also love The Sopranos. Ironic, or what?
The live performance I’d recommend is:
Opera North’s Cosi, and not because I’m in it, but because it is done with such style, and elegance, and originality. It really is one of those productions that makes you proud just to be connected with it. We’ve had amazing feedback, which is so generous. Elsewhere, I haven’t been to see anything in a theatre for nearly a year now, but about nine months back I did get to see Abba Voyage, which was stunning, a night out to remember. It was beautifully staged, and very special. I am, I admit, hypocritical of things that I watch (in opera I do sometimes think ‘Oh, I could maybe have done that rather better’, which is an awful trait, but I think that most performers do that as well!) and I’m always learning by watching. There’s nothing better than standing in the wings of
a theatre during a performance, and seeing what other people do, and how they achieve moments of magic. I’m making my debuts with a lot of companies at the moment, and it’s the golden opportunity to see how everybody does things. Everyone is different.
My next box set will be (or my last boxed set was….): A marathon sit down and binge with The Sopranos. Finding the time is going to be the problem.
The App I couldn’t be without is: Facetime, for chatting with friends and family. I look at anything connected with Majorca, puppies and dogs in general, and Google Maps get me to where I want to be. I check out places where I can stay when I’m on tour or doing a recital, and also places which are recommended for eating out. I’m moving in to a new home, and I am amazed at how much junk mail comes through the door, stuff that advertises pizza places and fast food. If I want that, I check online – what a waste of paper it is, and it all goes into the recycling box. I’m not a great one for keeping up with the news, because most of it is so depressing, especially in the arts world, where all you hear about is cut after cut after cut to budgets. It’s so sad that most of the people I know in this business don’t have a full diary of engagements any more – and please, don’t get me started on the way that music is taught in schools and has been hammered in the last few years. It’s so important that youngsters are introduced to music, as I was, and are allowed to find it and (hopefully) learn to love it. I think I was about 17 when I first saw a full opera, and it was a production of Rigoletto .I was instantly hooked.
What is right at the top of your “to do” Bucket list?: A contract to sing the role of the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro at La Scala, Milan, would be wonderful. Just think of that! But I am allowed to dream, aren’t I?
Cosi fan Tutte, Hull New Theatre, April 4 and April 6.