L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2025 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano the residents had dreamed o f o r g a n i z i n g o n e f i n a l opera, involving everyone in the event. When we returned a year later, he had sadly passed away. However, we knew that every one of these people was special, and their legacies were important, so we chose to include them in the film regardless of the timeline. H o w h a s t h e I t a l i a n l a n g u a g e a f f e c t e d t h e film's reception and dis- tribution in the US? I think audiences are used to subtitles now, which is great, and the story itself is universal. Music is univer- sal. The emotions that come from the heart are universal. F o r t h e e l d e r l y a t C a s a Verdi, music is the key to life's third act. It's not so much about subtitles as it is about the themes and emo- tions that emerge from the did you choose him? He stood out immediate- ly. He was magnetic, but in reality, all of them wanted to s h a r e t h e i r s t o r i e s . T h e y were excited to invite us into their rooms, saying, "Come in, I want to tell you about my life." They were all extra- ordinary. But Claudio was special because he continues t o t e a c h , r e m a i n s v e r y active, and had so much to share. For him, the intergen- erational exchange between elderly and young musicians is crucial — they learn from one another. It felt like a perfect story to highlight, especially since this passing down of knowledge is the very essence of Casa Verdi. S o m e r e s i d e n t s passed away before the project was completed. Did this affect the pro- duction? Yes, in some ways. One of film. The response so far has been wonderful. How has Casa Verdi managed to survive all these years? Giuseppe Verdi was a bril- liant businessman. When he b u i l t C a s a V e r d i , h e p u r - chased around ninety apart- ments in the surrounding a r e a , u s i n g t h e r e n t a l i n c o m e t o f u n d t h e r e s i - dence's maintenance. Over t i m e , g r e a t c o n d u c t o r s , b e n e f a c t o r s , a n d w e a l t h y Italian families have also c o n t r i b u t e d f i n a n c i a l l y . However, in its early years, Casa Verdi was primarily sustained by royalties from Verdi's operas. The film has a lot of h u m o r a n d l i g h t n e s s . Was that intentional, or did it emerge naturally? W e w a n t e d t h e f i l m t o have a lighthearted tone. It would have been easy to cre- ate a darker narrative, but that was not our intention. W e w a n t e d t o s h o w t h e humor, laughter, and beauty of life that characterize the residents of Casa Verdi. In post-production, with pro- ducer Federico Rodelli, we carefully selected moments that highlighted this sense of joy. What is your goal with Viva Verdi!? We want it to be available worldwide soon. After pre- miering at the Woodstock Film Festival and the Santa Barbara Film Festival, it will be screened at the Boulder Film Festival next month. In the meantime, we are devel- oping an impact plan so that the film can be screened at retirement homes and senior living centers. The goal is to use it as a model to inspire creativity and introduce edu- cational programs that con- nect music with memory and aging. We are actively work- ing on this project. Were you always pas- sionate about opera? I had a certain passion for opera. In high school, I took a music appreciation class, which required attending an opera. Nobody wanted to c o m e w i t h m e , s o I w e n t alone. Looking back, I think t h a t ' s w h e r e m y l o v e f o r opera truly began. from her Sicilian maternal grandmother. How did the idea for this film come about? I was working as a pro- d u c e r f o r N a t i o n a l G e o - graphic and was following photographer David Yoder, who was doing a feature on Milan and its hidden trea- sures. During the assign- ment, he brought me to Casa Verdi and told me it was a remarkable place to visit. T h e m o m e n t I s t e p p e d inside, I was completely fas- cinated by the house Verdi had built and by the incredi- ble musicians living there. It is difficult to put into words t h e e m o t i o n s I f e l t w h e n crossing that threshold. At that moment, I realized this was a story that needed to be told. Much of the documen- t a r y f o c u s e s o n t e n o r C l a u d i o G i o m b i . H o w W h e n , i n t h e l a t e 1 8 0 0 s , I t a l i a n c o m p o s - e r G i u s e p p e V e r d i h a d Casa Verdi — a neo-Gothic mansion in Milan — built, he envisioned a sanctuary for professional musicians who w e r e n o t e a r n i n g l i v a b l e incomes. Since then, Casa Verdi has hosted 1,500 resi- dents and become an exclu- s i v e r e t i r e m e n t h o m e f o r elderly players. Blockbuster c o m p o s i t i o n s s u c h a s L a T r a v i a t a , R i g o l e t t o , a n d Otello helped Verdi amass a f o r t u n e h e w o u l d u s e t o build the mansion from the ground up, just before he died in 1901. Today, around sixty-five people live in its f r e s c o e d r o o m s — m u s i - cians, opera singers, classi- c a l b a l l e r i n a s , o r c h e s t r a directors — and their every- day life was captured in a n e w d o c u m e n t a r y , V i v a V e r d i ! b y d i r e c t o r Yvonne Russo. "After performing on the world's greatest stages, from La Scala to the Royal Opera House and the Metropolitan Opera, these distinguished ' g u e s t s o f V e r d i ' — t h o u g h marked by age—continue to embody an enduring passion for music. Their love for the art and their drive to create n e v e r f a d e , " d i r e c t o r Yvonne Russo told L'Ita- l o - A m e r i c a n o a t t h e Santa Barbara Film Fes- tival. "They still compose, perform, and mentor the six- teen talented music students from around the world who l i v e a n d s t u d y a l o n g s i d e them." Of Lakota and Italian heritage, Russo makes her directorial debut with Viva Verdi!, alongside Italian- A m e r i c a n p r o d u c e r a n d O p e r a L e a g u e m e m b e r C h r i s t i n e L a M o n t e . "Verdi's vision is not just alive but thriving—a testa- ment to how music touches us deeply and how fostering artistic expression can bring joy that transcends age," La Monte explains. She inherit- e d h e r p a s s i o n f o r o p e r a Christine La Monte and Yvonne Russo at the Santa Barbara Film Festival (Photo: Silvia Nittoli) Giuseppe Verdi's legacy is explored in new documentary, Viva Verdi! SILVIA NITTOLI LIFE PEOPLE MOVIES MUSIC BOOKS

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