Chinese opera student goes viral for crashing Lisette Oropesa’s show in style
Music student Liu Jianwei was watching Lisette Oropesa's performance when he noticed no male vocalist was present to complete the full text of Sempre libera. The 24-year-old pupil decided to contribute the tenor section himself from his seat, amazing a thankful Oropesa and becoming an internet sensation. Oropesa, a Cuban-American soprano, was delivering her fourth additional piece for the evening, showcasing her exceptional vocal abilities and charismatic performance. Noticing that nobody performed the opening line of the male tenor portion, Liu stepped in from the second line and delivered the verse magnificently. This unexpected collaboration occurred at the Teatro Regio di Parma in Italy, and has subsequently attracted 2.6 million views.
Oropesa initially appeared surprised to hear the tenor part coming from the audience, then she exhibited joy and appreciation that Liu was present to finish the complete arrangement, and signaled for him to proceed. She placed her hands on her chest as she appreciated his vocals and said "oh grazie!" to thank the gifted student.
Liu learns opera at the Conservatorio Giuseppe Nicolini di Piacenza in Italy. He approached Oropesa after the show to say sorry as he feared he had been disrespectful. She, however, was very happy to encounter him and captured a photo with the young vocalist and provided her signature for him.
Liu later commented on Chinese social media, stating "I rose to sing because Lisette Oropesa is an artist I admire greatly and I had previously studied this opera. It is certainly not something to be proud of, nor something to be encouraged. Please do not disrupt performers when they are singing on stage. It's discourteous behavior. Don't copy me and I will never repeat this action in the future."
Despite Liu's remorse, opera enthusiasts enjoyed seeing the unique video, posting remarks such as "You can observe how much she cherished this instant. She was astonished but you can see how pleased she was when he participated," and "It wasn't impolite – it was excellent. He supplied the absent part in the performance and gave everyone attending a special experience. Bravo."
Sempre libera is an aria by Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi that appears in his opera La Traviata. The opera first showed in 1853 in Vienna and means "fallen woman". La Traviata, which ranks among the most frequently staged operas, contains three acts and the aria is performed at the end of the first act.
Sempre libera, which means "always free", is performed by the courtesan Violetta Valéry as she contemplates a potential lover, though she expresses her need for liberty to experience life fully.
