It's a beautiful story that had gone unnoticed and is now making the rounds on social networks.
In October, soprano Lisette Oropesa gave a recital as part of the Verdi festival in Parma.
Alone on stage to interpret different airs, simply accompanied by a pianist, the singer chooses for her fourth encore to interpret
Semper Libera
, an air from
La Traviata.
After a big Parisian party during which she met Alfredo, Violetta sings alone of her joie de vivre and the freedom that guides her when she hears her suitor celebrating their meeting in the street.
A bravura piece of opera, often given in recital by the sopranos even in the absence of the tenor part.
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While Lisette Oropesa leaves a silence at the end of her part, with Francesco Izzo's piano as her only support, a voice emerges from the back of the room.
The man perfectly resumes the part of Alfredo.
Subjugated, the soprano seeks in the audience who may well have had the audacity to accompany her.
Amazed, she drops a
"grazie"
to the public.
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The tenor in question is called Liu Jianwei.
A student at the Giuseppe-Nicolini music conservatory in Piacenza, this young Chinese had learned this score a few years earlier during his studies.
A big fan of the American singer, he could not resist accompanying her.
Two months later, this moment of grace is making the rounds on Twitter and Tiktok, shedding new light on the talents of the 38-year-old singer.
The tenor-spectator apologizes
After the show, Liu Jianwei and Lisette Oropesa met backstage.
The latter took the time to congratulate him, to autograph an album and to take a photo with the young Chinese.
Lisette Oropesa is one of the stars that operas are snapping up today.
Born in New Orleans and raised in Baton-Rouge, her mother, she quickly developed a passion for opera, a passion transmitted by her mother, herself a singer.
Since its debut on the American stages fifteen years ago, Oropesa has become an international star.
She has performed on both sides of the Atlantic, from Los Angeles to Lausanne via Cardiff.
In 2018, she appeared twice on the stage of the Opéra Garnier: for
Les Huguenots
by Meyerbeer, then
L'Elisir d'Amore
by Donizetti.
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In China, the 24-year-old student's gesture was acclaimed, with local media calling him a "
worthy representative of China
" and a "
hero of the nation
".
Liu Jianwei, however, preferred to apologize, aware that his gesture is not acceptable in the world of opera.
“
What I did deserves neither glory nor pride, on the contrary, it was rude and impolite, so please don't imitate me, don't interrupt the singers.
It's something I will never do again
, ”promised the tenor on his Weibo account, the Chinese Twitter, as reported by France Info.
