The last few years have seen Oropesa's career move up into yet another level, with major successes - an important revival of Les Huguenots in Paris, a triumphant debut with standing ovation at Covent Garden as Lucia, and a debut at La Scala in Verdi's I Masnadieri. One massive hit was her Lucia at the Teatro Real in Madrid, which has taken a life of its own on YouTube. She is a natural stage creature, so I ask whether she ever disagrees with a director. "I would never tell a director to change the concept!' she exclaims. I push a bit about the controversial Lucia at the Royal Opera. Katie Mitchell's production had been booed by the first-night audience when new, with objections to the director's interpolation of graphic sex scenes and an onstage miscarriage. Oropesa made her ROH debut in its first revival. 'I believed in it,' says Oropesa. "I asked if I could meet Katie beforehand to learn about her ideas, especially as I know that in the UK the theatre and acting is so important. So we met and discussed everything, and then for rehearsals she was there every day, cutting and changing things.' It led to a huge success. Oropesa's astonishing performance helped to establish a more positive critical view of Mitchell's production.
