Gli equivoci nel sembiante was written by Scarlatti at the age of 18 on a libretto by Contini.
The opera was a small-scale production (only four singers) which premiered in Rome during Carnival in 1679. Pope Innocent XI was real interested in restoring holiness to Rome; therefore, he did not like secular plays or operas. Yet entertainment was allowed during Carnival. During the initial performance period, the Queen of Sweden traveled to Rome and saw the young composer's opera. She liked the opera so much that she watched it at least two more times.
The opera was also performed during Lent at the house of Count Capizucchi. This performance went against the pope's rules. Two reasons are given for the performance. The first is that the Count's wife was bedridden because of pregnancy. The second reason is that Cardinal Chigi wanted to see the opera. Either way, this Lenten performance shows the popularity that this opera received in a relatively short time span.
In 1681, the opera was performed in two of the centers of opera, Vienna and Naples. These performances were given to celebrate a member of Austrian royalty and were attended by an elite audience.
In 1690, the opera was performed in Venice for the first time to celebrate the wedding of a Venetian noblewoman to a Roman prince. The performance was seen be a fairly large crowd of nobles and diplomats.
This is just a few of the several performances of the opera. Most of these performances were small in scale, performed to entertain an elite crowd of nobles. In this way, Gli equivoci nel semiante is typical of many small scale operas of its day- they existed not as entertainment for the masses in large concert halls, but for nobles in private performances.