Rosalind Plowright, the soprano, began singing professionally with the Glyndebourne Touring Opera Company, but her career did not really take off until she won a competition in Sofia in 1979.

In conversation with Roy Plomley, she describes her rise to international recognition, she talks about her role in Verdi's The Sicilian Vespers for the English National Opera and she chooses the eight records she would take to the mythical island.

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

Favourite track: The Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Book: The collected works by William Wordsworth
Luxury: Windsurfer