The Teatro Comunale Ponchielli, as it has been known since 1986,Lynn, pp. 19-20 is an

opera house An opera house is a theater (structure), theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a Stage (theatre), stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets. While some venu ...

located in

Cremona Cremona (, also ; ; lmo, label= Cremunés, Cremùna; egl, Carmona) is a city and ''comune'' in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po river in the middle of the ''Pianura Padana'' (Po Valley). It is the capital of the ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. For more than 250 years it has been that city's primary venue for opera and other theatrical presentations. The original theatre, built in 1747, was named the Teatro Nazari, but it was renamed as the Teatro della Società in 1785. It was sometimes referred to as the Nobile Associazione. After the original theatre burned down in 1806, construction began on the present theatre soon after. The current theatre was designed by

Luigi Canonica (Cristoforo Maria) Luigi Canonica (Tesserete, Canton Ticino, 9 March 1762 – Milan, 7 February 1844) was a Swiss architect and urban planner whose prominent career as an exponent of neoclassicism was spent largely in Milan and Lombardy. He was ...

and it opened in 1808 under the name the Teatro della Concordia. Its name was changed again to the Teatro Ponchielli in 1907 after the famous native of Cremona,

Amilcare Ponchielli Amilcare Ponchielli (, ; 31 August 1834 – 16 January 1886) was an Italian opera composer, best known for his opera ''La Gioconda''. He was married to the soprano Teresina Brambilla. Life and work Born in Paderno Fasolaro (now Paderno Ponchie ...

. In 1986 the theatre was purchased by the city of Cremona which renamed it once again as it is known today. The opening performance took place on 4 October and featured performances on the city-owned

Stradivarius A Stradivarius is one of the violins, violas, cellos and other string instruments built by members of the Italian family Stradivari, particularly Antonio Stradivari (Latin: Antonius Stradivarius), during the 17th and 18th centuries. They are ...

"Il Cremonese" and

Guarneri The Guarneri (, , ), often referred to in the Latinized form Guarnerius, is the family name of a group of distinguished luthiers from Cremona in Italy in the 17th and 18th centuries, whose standing is considered comparable to those of the Amati a ...

"del Gesu" violins of 1715 and 1734 respectively. With its original horseshoe-shaped auditorium, the theatre was remodeled in 1989 to create three box tiers and two galleries with a total of 1,249 seats.

References

;Notes ;Sources Lynn, Karyl Charna, ''Italian Opera Houses & Festivals'', Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2005

External links

Official Website of the Teatro Ponchielli
Comunale Ponchielli Theatres in Lombardy Buildings and structures in Cremona Theatres completed in 1747 Music venues completed in 1747 Theatres completed in 1808 Music venues completed in 1808 {{opera-struct-stub