Viva Verdi!
A superlative Oscar-nominated look at a home in Italy for retired musicians, where the passion for life is undiminished even as voices and bodies may falter.
Continuing my quest to see all the Oscar-nominated films prior to the ceremony March 15, I’m down to best song and makeup nominees and the going is getting tougher. Some of these movies are still not widely available for viewing and tracking down press contacts isn’t as easy as you might think.
“Viva Verdi!”, a nominee for Best Song, is currently only available for rental on the Jolt Film platform, and is well worth the time. Even though it’s “only” up for original song — “Sweet Dreams of Joy” by Nicholas Pike — it’s a terrific, highly engaging documentary about a retirement home for musicians in Milan, Italy.
Producer/director Yvonne Russo spent years filming the residents, and it’s a loving portrait of old people reveling in the third act of their lives. Honestly, I liked the film more than most of this year’s Academy Award nominees in the documentary feature category.
The Casa di riposo musicisti fondazione Verdi, better known as Casa Verdi, was a bequeath of composer Giuseppe Verdi, most known for his operas including “La traviata,” “Rigoletto” and “Il trovatore.” Rather than the archetypical story of great artists who died in poverty and obscurity, Verdi became quite wealthy. As he grew old, he plunged a considerable portion of his fortune into a place where penniless musicians could live out their days in comfort and celebration.
A remarkable architectural achievement in of itself, Casa Verdi opened its doors in 1902 and has been serving elderly musicians ever since. Asked near his death what he thought was the most beautiful work of his illustrious career, he said it was establishing this refuge.
What’s most important to note is that this is not simply a nursing home, though the average resident age is 85. Most of them are still performing music, and even those who cannot get to witness others do so every day. They also teach and host students ranging from youngsters to emerging adult artists. A select few youngsters even get to live at Casa Verdi and learn at the knee of masters.
The best part of the doc is visiting with the various oldsters, who refer to their home as a “museum house.” Some spent their entire careers as working musicians, while others stepped away from their craft when the need to seek a more remunerative occupation pressed.
Many are Italian and come from the opera tradition, though there are other nationalities disciplines such as Leonello Bionda, a jazz drummer who played with trumpeter Chet Baker. At 77, he is teased as one of the “kids” in residence.
There’s Tina Aliprandi, a violinist, and Chitose Matsumoto, a soprano from Japan. (She jokes about always being able to find a job starring in “Madame Butterfly.”) Lina Vasta finds her voice cracking when she tries to perform, but enjoys teaching young sopranos.
Probably the most dominant figure is Claudio Giombi, a baritone who spent more than 40 years in the opera as a supporting player. Tall, with a bald pate and flowing white locks, he still has a booming voice and a lust for life that is infectious. He speaks of performing “La bohème” thousands of times, including fulfilling a lifelong dream to sing at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City, a legacy of his childhood abandonment by a father who fled to America.
It was such a joy to visit with these people, most of whom have passed on since filming took place. In a lot of ways, “Viva Verdi!” serves as their cinematic epitaph, and as tribute to the generosity of an icon who did not forget those who brought his music to life.