Cherubini wrote Lo sposo di tre e marito di nessuna for Venice, where it was premièred in the autumn of 1783. The audience’s interest was captured right from the opening symphony, with its brilliant writing, complex orchestral texture and wonderful melodic creativity.

The story of Losposo unravels according to the best tradition of 18th-century opera, blending elements typical of Neapolitan opera buffa with others from Commedia dell’arte: deceptions, disguises, misunderstandings, ghost scenes, processes and duels, all devised to create hilarious situations. The orchestral accompaniment is always accurate, with the instruments constantly underlining the important moments of the story, especially in the introductory scene and in the two finales, where the excellent escalation of tension is released the first time in an amusing explosion of comic effects, the second in an unexpected conclusion that contains the moral of the story.

The present live recording, made at the Martina Franca Festival in 2005, is a world première.