''L'equivoco stravagante'' (; ''The Curious Misunderstanding'') is an

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

tic

dramma giocoso ''Dramma giocoso'' (Italian, literally: drama with jokes; plural: ''drammi giocosi'') is a genre of opera common in the mid-18th century. The term is a contraction of ''dramma giocoso per musica'' and describes the opera's libretto (text). The g ...

in two acts by

Gioachino Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. He gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote man ...

to an Italian

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

by Gaetano Gasbarri. It was Rossini's first attempt at writing a full two-act opera.

Performance history

''L'equivoco stravagante'' was first performed at the Teatro del Corso, Bologna, on 26 October 1811. It was only performed three times before the police closed the production down, possibly because the text touched on the subject of army desertion. The music of the overture was subsequently lost. The opera was first produced in the United States (in English translation as ''The Bizarre Deception'') by the Bronx Opera in January 2004.Tommasini, January 16, 2004

Roles

Synopsis

:Place: Italy :Time: Early 19th Century Ermanno loves Ernestina, who is attracted to the rich, but foolish, Buralicchio. Ermanno's scheming results in Ernestina being arrested on suspicion of having deserted from the army (and really being a man in disguise), but he rescues her, and all ends happily.

Recordings

References

Notes Sources * *Gossett, Philip; Brauner, Patricia (2001), "''L'equivoco stravagante''" in Holden, Amanda (ed.), ''The New Penguin Opera Guide'', p. 767. New York: Penguin Putnam. *Osborne, Charles (1996), ''The Bel Canto Operas of Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini'', Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press, 1994 *Osborne, Richard (1998),"''L'equivoco stravagante''", in Stanley Sadie (Ed.), '' The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'', Vol. Two, p. 59. London: Macmillan Publishers, Inc. * Tommasini, Anthony
"Classical Music and Dance Guide"
(Refers to Bronx Opera production), ''The

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', January 16, 2004. Accessed 8 December 2013.

External links

Libretto in Italian
Retrieved 13 December 2012 {{DEFAULTSORT:Equivoco Stravagante, L' Operas by Gioachino Rossini Drammi giocosi Italian-language operas Operas 1811 operas