Vidéo à la demande: L'equivoco stravaganteNouvelle production

A young woman (Ernestina), defying her father (Gamberotto), avoids an unwanted marriage with a rich but stupid suitor (Buralicchio) by spreading the rumour that she is a castrato in disguise, a deserter from the army. When the credulous Buralicchio reports 'the deserter', Ernestina is bundled off to prison, from which (disguised as a soldier) she escapes. Will the truth find its way out and love prevail?

A sparkling farce of absurd misunderstandings, youthful wit, rapid-fire ensembles and comic excess, L’equivoco stravagante was Rossini’s first large-scale opera. It vanished from the repertoire after falling foul of the censor due to its subversive libretto. Wexford Festival Opera was one of the first companies to present it in 1968. The title means something like ‘The Bizarre Misunderstanding’ and premiered in Bologna in 1811, when the young composer was still only 19 years of age. For the Festival’s 2026 production, Max Hoehn directs and Riccardo Bisatti conducts, both making their Wexford debuts, in what promises to be a masterclass in Rossini’s signature buffo (comic) style.

Recorded on 16.10.2026