Before moving social networks, it was the concert hall in Parma, Italy, that was conquered. We see her in the video, which went viral on Monday, but actually shot in October at the Verdi festival in Parma, where one of the events was the recital of star soprano Lisette Oropesa.
In a recital, the artist sings on the stage, repeating well-known pieces. The American-Cuban diva was therefore singing – alone – theAria de la Traviata, Semper Libera. An air which, normally, is interpreted by two. When, in the audience, a man decided to complete the missing part: that of the tenor.
@babatunde_hiphopera Reply to @campmeldinal Reply to @campmeldinal This is the best one I could find #wholesome #opera ♬ original sound – Babatunde Akinboboye
Total surprise, especially for Lisette Oropesa who looks for where the voice comes from. Finding the tenor at the end of the first balcony, she sings him a “grazie”, “thank you” in Italian, before resuming her part until the end.
The next step is that the mysterious tenor appeared in front of his dressing room, to apologize and ask his forgiveness. Liu Jianwei is a 24-year-old Chinese student, a pupil at the Piacenza conservatory and he explained that when he heard her sing alone, and although he knew this tune, he did not hold and started to accompany him from his place. The soprano forgave, they took a picture together, and the story could have ended there. But the video started circulating on the internet in China, and Liu Jianwei found himself crowned with “hero of the Chinese nation “ and “worthy representative of China “.
The best part pic.twitter.com/jhZ14f0bSp
– Heshmat Alavi’s Trenchcoat (@UrOrientalist) December 7, 2021
To calm things down, Liu Jianwei spoke on Weibo, the Chinese Twitter, to say that no, his gesture is not heroic: “Cwhat I have done deserves neither glory nor pride, he writes, on the contrary it was rude and rude so i beg you dont imitate me dont interrupt the singers this is something i will never do again. “
Because indeed, on such a difficult tune to interpret, the diva could have been embarrassed by surprise, destabilized, out of her concentration for her finale. Luckily: Lisette Oropesa is an exceptional, generous and enthusiastic artist. And this is undoubtedly what gives this video its late success today: the immense smile of Lisette Oropesa and her inspiring way of welcoming the unexpected, serenely, and with joy.