Recorded at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of Offenbachs birth, Un mari à la porte ( A Husband at the Door) is a one-act operetta premiered in 1859. This rarely performed work is a most amusing comedy of errors that mocks the quirks and vices of French society of that period. The action takes place in Susannes bedroom, on her wedding night. While alone, the bride realises that theres a man hidden under the bed. Florestan Ducroquet is a young and penniless musician who had broken into the room falling from the chimney, while escaping from the fury of a jealous husband. He manages to escape via the window, seconds after having proposed to Rosita. This carefree play of allusions and misunderstandings is accompanied by the brilliant music of Offenbach with its characteristic use of the polka, mazurka and waltz.