Gli Equivoci Nel Sembiante was Scarlatti's first opera. It premiered in Rome at the Carnival in 1679, at a time when theatrical performances were very suppressed by the Vatican

authorities. Pope Innocent XI had been in power just two years, but he had already banned all women from the stage, he had forbidden theatrical productions before a paying public, and had forbidden church musicians from taking part in any secular theatrical productions. Rome's largest theater, the Tordinona, was closed and its doors locked his entire reign.

Wealthy Cardinals and Rome's aristocracy still supported the theater, and often had performances of operas given at the their homes and in their private theaters. Gli Equivoci was premiered at the house of an architect. It has only four characters in the opera, and the staging effects needed are minimal, so it was well suited to such an environment. The music is beautiful and the opera was very well received. The composer became famous almost overnight.

In 1679, the Pope had wanted to ban all of the Carnival's theatrical productions. But because Carnival is such a big event in Italy, particularly in Rome, he could not. However, he did ban all productions until the last eight days of Carnival. There were several comedies given at that time, and Scarlatti's was the most acclaimed of them.

Queen Christina of Sweden was at the premier, and had the production moved to Clementine College so that the populace at large would be able to attend. The February twelfth production

there almost caused a skirmish. Some Cardinals could not get in because of the crowds of people at the door, and their attendants almost resorted to physical violence. Scarlatti at that time was under papal displeasure. His sister had secretly married an ecclesiastic, and the Cardinal Vicar did not want him at the performance. However, Queen Christina sent her own carriage to fetch him, so that he could conduct from the continuo. This was done even though the Cardinal Vicar was himself attending Queen Christina.

In spite of the pope, Gli Equivoci was also performed during the first week of Lent for Cardinal Chigi, because he had been out of town at its premier. That same week it was given for Giovanni Battista Rospigliosi, the Duke of Zagarolo. Two castrati singers from the Sistine Chapel sang at the performance and, but for the intervention and defense of Queen Christina, would have been thrown into prison and forgotten for it.

The libretto was written by a cleric by the name of Domenico Filippo Contini. It is a well balanced drama set in a pastoral mode full of the cliches of seventeenth century romantic literature. Full of intrigues and love triangles, there is mistaken identity, and long lost brothers becoming reunited. Gli Equivoci Sembiante, or Equivocal Appearances, became one of Scarlatti's most successful operas.

© Rita Laurance, Rovi