Teatro Comunale Modena

The idea for the creation of the present theatre dates from 1838, when it became apparent that the then-existing Teatro Comunale di via Emilia (in dual private and public ownership) was no longer suitable for staging opera.

However, this house had been the venue for presentations of all of the works of Donizetti, Bellini and Rossini up to this time, and a flourishing operatic culture existed in Modena.

[1] Paid for in the manner typical of the time - from the sale of boxes - in addition to a significant gift from Duke Francis IV (Francesco IV D'Austria Este), Vandelli created a design for the new theatre combining ideas from those in Piacenza, Mantua, and Milan, and it opened on 2 October 1841 with a performance of Gandini's Adelaide di Borgogna al Castello di Canossa, an opera specially commissioned for the occasion.

While opera performances continued to be given elsewhere in the city, it was not until 1935 that a pit was created for the Municipale and, in the last years of the twentieth century, a complete restoration took place.

Following the September 2007 death of world famous opera tenor Luciano Pavarotti, a native of the town and a lifelong resident, the Mayor of Modena has announced that the theatre was to be renamed for the singer.