| L'equivoco stravagante | |
|---|---|
| Dramma giocoso by Gioachino Rossini | |
 Rossini c. 1815 | |
| Librettist | Gaetano Gasbarri |
| Language | Italian |
| Premiere | 26 October 1811 (1811-10-26) Teatro del Corso, Bologna |
L'equivoco stravagante (Italian pronunciation: [leˈkwiːvoko stravaˈɡante]; The Curious Misunderstanding) is an operatic dramma giocoso in two acts by Gioachino Rossini to an Italian libretto 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.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast 26 October 1811 (Conductor: Giuseppe Boschetti ) |
|---|---|---|
| Gamberotto, a rich farmer | bass | Domenico Vaccani |
| Ernestina, literature-loving daughter of Gamberotto | contralto | Marietta Marcolini |
| Buralicchio, wealthy young man, promised to Ernestina | bass | Paolo Rosich |
| Ermanno, poor young man, in love with Ernestina | tenor | Tommaso Berti |
| Rosalia, Ernestina's maid | soprano | Angiola Chies |
| Frontino, Gamberotto's servant and confidant of Ermanno | tenor | Giuseppe Spirito |
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
| Year | Cast: Gamberotto, Ernestina, Buralicchio, Ermanno |
Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra |
Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Sesto Bruscantini, Margherita Guglielmi, Rolando Panerai, Giuseppe Baratti |
Bruno Rigacci, Orchestra of RAI, Napoli (Recording of a performance broadcast on 8 January 1974) |
Audio CD: Bongiovanni "The Golden Age of Opera" series, Cat: GOA 154-155 |
| 2001 | Marco di Felice, Petia Petrova, Marco Vinco, Vito Martino |
Alberto Zedda, Czech Chamber Soloists and Chorus |
Audio CD: Naxos Opera Classics Cat: 8.660087-88 |
| 2001 | Olga Voznessenskaia,
Silvia Vajente, Carlo Morini, Luciano Miotto, Vito Martino, Daniele Maniscalchi |
Carmine Carrisi; Orchestra del Conservatorio di Musica G.B. Martini di Bologna
(Recorded October 2001) |
KICCO Classic - KC081.2 |
| 2008 | Bruno de Simone, Marina Prudenskaja, Marco Vinco, Dmitry Korchak |
Umbero Benedetti Michelangeli, Orchestra Haydn di Bolzano e Trento (Recorded at the Rossini Opera Festival) |
DVD: Dynamic (record label) Cat: 33610 |
References
Notes
- Tommasini, January 16, 2004
- Recordings of L'equivoco stravagante on operadis-opera-discography.org.uk
Sources
- Casaglia, Gherardo (2005). "L'equivoco stravagante, 26 October 1811". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).
- Gossett, Philip; Brauner, Patricia (2001), "L'equivoco stravagante" in Holden, Amanda (ed.), The New Penguin Opera Guide, p. 767. New York: Penguin Putnam. ISBN 0-14-029312-4
- Osborne, Charles (1996), The Bel Canto Operas of Rossini, Donizetti, and Bellini, Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press, 1994 ISBN 0-931340-71-3
- Osborne, Richard (1998),"L'equivoco stravagante", in Stanley Sadie (Ed.), The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, Vol. Two, p. 59. London: Macmillan Publishers, Inc. ISBN 0-333-73432-7 ISBN 1-56159-228-5
- Tommasini, Anthony, "Classical Music and Dance Guide" (Refers to Bronx Opera production), The New York Times, January 16, 2004. Accessed 8 December 2013.
External links
- Libretto in Italian Retrieved 13 December 2012
