James Bowman

The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is the country's most distinguished counter-tenor James Bowman. He'll be talking to Sue Lawley about how he uses his voice as an instrument, producing the unusually high falsetto sound which characterises counter-tenor parts. He'll also be describing his association with Benjamin Britten, who offered him his first part - as Oberon in Britten's opera A Midsummer Night's Dream. Britten went on to write parts for him in Death in Venice and The Journey of the Magi, all of which have contributed to his highly successful career.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: Symphony No 2 in D, Op 73 by Johannes Brahms Book: Rebecca by Dame Daphne Du Maurier Luxury: Fabergé egg