L'equivoco stravagante

Wexford National Opera House, O'Reilly Theatre, Wexford, Ireland

All photos (11)

Select date and time

7:30 PM

From

US$ 145

View Tickets

Ticket delivery: E-Tickets

E-tickets: Print at home or at the box office of the event if so specified. You will find more information in your booking confirmation email.

Can I choose my seats?

You can only select the category, and not the exact seats.
If you order 2 or 3 tickets: your seats will be next to each other.
If you order 4 or more tickets: your seats will be next to each other, or, if this is not possible, we will provide a combination of groups of seats (at least in pairs, for example 2+2 or 2+3).

Important Info

Festival: Wexford Festival Opera 2026

Type: Opera

City: Wexford, Ireland

Starts at: 19:30

Acts: 2

Intervals: 1

Duration: 2h 50min

Sung in: Italian

Titles in: English

Ticket delivery: E-Tickets

E-tickets: Print at home or at the box office of the event if so specified. You will find more information in your booking confirmation email.

Can I choose my seats?

Cast

Performers

Conductor: Riccardo Bisatti

Baritone: Gurgen Baveyan (Buralicchio)

Mezzo-Soprano: Maria Barakova (Ernestina)

Baritone: Omar Montanari (Gamberotto)

Tenor: Sebastian Mach (Ermanno)

Choir: Wexford Festival Opera Chorus

Orchestra: Wexford Festival Opera Orchestra

Creators

Composer: Gioachino Rossini

Librettist: Gaetano Gasbarri

Director: Max Hoehn

Festival

Wexford Festival Opera 2026

The Wexford Festival Opera 2026 invites audiences to discover the magic of opera through the lens of rediscovery, imagination, and artistic exploration. From 15 to 31 October 2026, the historic town of Wexford in Ireland celebrates the 75th anniversary edition of one of the world’s most distinctive opera festivals — a festival famous for bringing forgotten masterpieces back to life and presenting them with exceptional creativity.

Overview

A joyous early work by Rossini, L’equivoco stravagante is a fast-paced, playful exploration of social climbing and the lengths we go to for love. Musically brilliant, it’s the ultimate fun night at the opera.

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 was one of the first companies to present it in 1968.

The title means something like ‘The Bizzare Misunderstanding’ and premiered in Bologna in 1811, when the young composer was still only 19 years of age. This production returns following a historic public vote last summer. In a first for the Festival, audiences from 30 countries chose (by way of a vote) the ‘fun’ opera for the 75th Anniversary, marking the first time a production has been selected by popular demand.

Directed by Max Hoehn and conducted by Riccardo Bisatti, both making their Wexford debuts, this production is a masterclass in Rossini’s signature buffo (comic) style. In it we meet Gamberotto, a wealthy farmer with high-society ambitions for his bookish daughter, Ernestina. While he attempts to marry her off to the rich (but dim-witted) Buralicchio, the penniless Ermanno has other plans. What follows is a whirlwind of subversion, outrageous disguises, and a ‘bizarre misunderstanding’ involving a fake identity that once proved too scandalous for the 19th-century censors.

History

Premiere of this production: 26 October 1811, Teatro del Corso, Bologna

L'equivoco stravagante (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.

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.

Venue Info

Wexford National Opera House - Wexford
High Street

The National Opera House is a world-class cultural venue which the best local, national and international events throughout the year including opera, all genres of music, family events, comedy, theatre, dance and more.

The stunning landmark building offers two diverse performance spaces, the larger O’Reilly Theatre and the more intimate space of the Jerome Hynes Theatre, as well as numerous meeting and hospitality facilities, including a number of bars and dining spaces that are available for private functions.

The National Opera House is Ireland's first custom-built, multi-purpose opera house and home to the world-famous Wexford Festival Opera.

The stunning landmark building is nestled into the heart of Wexford's beautiful ancient Viking harbour town.  The new building opened in 2008 on the footprint of the old Theatre Royal, which had been the home of the Wexford Festival Opera for over 50 years.

A recipient of numerous prestigious national and international design awards since its completion, it is a magnificent tribute to the many people involved in the delivery of the building.