Cecilia Bartoli is touring the Chinese mainland for the first time. She says her Beijing concert was a "unique" experience and promises to return to collaborate with Chinese musicians. Photos Provided to China Daily

On the stage or in the street, one of the world's top sopranos gives it her all

It was early evening on Oct 8, and Wangfujing Street in downtown Beijing was as crowded as usual. In front of one of the street's glitzy shopping plazas, a group of young students and a petite dark brown-haired middle-aged lady were singing Happy Birthday. Casually dressed, she looked like any another Western tourist.

The young people were music conservatory students who had attended a recital at the National Center for the Performing Arts the day before. They were celebrating a friend's birthday when they spotted the lady in the street and asked whether she could join them in their musical tribute.

The lady in question was none other than Cecilia Bartoli, one of the best sopranos in the world today, and the woman they had seen perform the day before.

Asked to help with the birthday festivities, Bartoli shot back, "Why not?" a phrase that seems to be a set piece in her repertoire.

"Because I love their spontaneity, their warmness," she said. "When you walk in the street and think it's a big city and people might be stressful they work from 6 in the morning till midnight, but still have this positive attitude. That is a miracle. I want to learn from them."

On Oct 7 after her recital she spent an hour signing autographs for admirers until 11:20 pm. Staff from the National Center for the Performing Arts said few artists would spend so long signing autographs after a three-hour concert.

She not only buried herself in signing autographs but seemed happy enough to greet all and sundry and chat to them about the albums.

After the albums had sold out, all that dozens of fans had left to sign were tickets or brochures, and they got the diva's good will treatment as well.

A young man went to Bartoli and said he had an audition the next day and hoped she would be willing to hear him sing. Taken aback, she said, "Do you mean you want to sing here and now?" A reluctant agent not withstanding, she looked into the man's pleading eyes and said: "Why not?"

She was on such a high after the concert that she told China Daily, "The energy I got from the concert will kill me forever."

Of concerts two days later at the Peninsular Hotel Beijing, she said: "It's unique, unique."