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music · Friday 16 October 2026 · 7:30 PM 
L'equivoco stravagante by Rossini at Wexford Festival Opera
At National Opera House · High Street, Wexford, Co. Wexford, Y35 FEP3
At National Opera House · High Street, Wexford, Co. Wexford, Y35 FEP3
Gioachino Rossini’s L’equivoco stravagante is one of the three mainstage operas in Wexford Festival Opera’s 75th anniversary season, with four performances at the National Opera House between 16 and 29 October. It is a dramma giocoso in two acts, described by the festival as a fast-paced, playful exploration of social climbing and the lengths people go to for love. Gamberotto, a wealthy farmer, is trying to marry his daughter Ernestina off to the dim-witted Buralicchio, while the penniless Ermanno has other plans. The comedy turns on a fake identity and a set of outrageous disguises, and the libretto was considered scandalous enough by nineteenth-century censors to cause the work trouble in its own time.
This production is directed by Max Hoehn and conducted by Riccardo Bisatti, and is sung in Italian with English surtitles. It carries a particular anniversary story: the title was chosen by public vote, with audiences from thirty countries picking it for the festival’s 75th year. The score is early Rossini, full of rapid-fire ensembles and comic excess, so expect the patter writing and runaway finales the composer built his reputation on.
The National Opera House is on High Street in central Wexford, a few minutes uphill from the quay front. Drive in on the N11 from Dublin and Gorey or the N25 from New Ross and Rosslare Europort. Wexford O’Hanrahan railway station, on the Dublin Connolly to Rosslare Europort line, is about a ten minute walk, and paid parking is available on the quays and in the town centre car parks.
Heading to National Opera House in Wexford? Wexford has plenty more to see. Read the Wexford area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.