Viva Verdi! (2024) Movie Script
1
Casa Verdi is unique in the world because
it's a museum house
ilnhabited by older musicians.
The whole world comes to see Casa Verdi
and the residents who live here.
So, they are always performing.
Welcome to Mr. Giombi's apartment.
La Scala Opera House, Milan, Italy 1994
This is a portrait by Dimini,
a very esteemed painter from Trieste,
who captured the shaman in me.
This is the secret room of my wife, Catherine...
...a British actress
who teaches English here.
I entered Casa Verdi five years ago,
so I could take care of my wife Catherine,
who was starting to have some serious health problems.
We thought we both needed help,
and that's what we found at Casa Verdi.
This Is my room.
Here are some moments
of my over 40-year artistic career.
That's me at the Met in New York
with the great Luciano Pavarotti,
from "La Boheme."
This is Franco Zeffirelli in Tokyo.
And, here's my dear maestro, Carlos Kleiber.
I really loved him.
He wrote this dedication to me,
"To the great Giombi, with affection.
But...
there is something else you may like.
Here lies all my past in a suitcase.
Claudio Giombi...
as he was,
and as he is now.
It gives me chills!
And here, I'm playing my favorite character, Baron Scarpia,
in the opera "Tosca."
THE BEE
I didn't think I would ever play again at my age,
instead, here I keep on performing...
I started playing when I was six,
so I've been playing for a lifetime.
Then, I entered the conservatory at age 11
and at 19, I got my diploma in Milan.
A female orchestra was created in the city of Rho, Italy.
| joined it...
but we weren't paid.
It was hard for women to join an orchestra.
They used to hire men because
men were the breadwinners for the family.
It wasn't easy.
Let's just say, I needed to make money to live.
Since I also played the viola,
I was able to work in pop music as well.
I made some recordings,
and also played in some festivals.
like San Remo and Saint Vincent.
But it wasn't a permanent job,
however. I also played for various operas.
I also spent time in Rio De Janeiro.
I married a musician
who was hired for a job in Rio de Janeiro.
He played in the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra.
When I arrived there,
I wanted to play in that orchestra as well.
So the orchestra director said to my husband,
'Bring her over.
I auditioned, performing a piece by myself,
as brave as a lion.
And then the director put me with the lead violins,
and I became part of the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra.
Obviously, it went well.
Rent was very expensive there.
And my husband was homesick for Italy.
Not me.
To be honest, I was fine there.
I liked living in Rio.
We returned to Italy after two years.
I was already familiar with Casa Verdi,
because I had attended concerts here,
and so I came here happily.
I've been living at Casa Verdi for 14 years.
At this age, music is still useful,
and it helps me to live.
An hour a day of playing music
helps me pass the time.
And... I still have the courage to perform.
Are you getting rid of this one?
Mine is still hiding in the deck.
Yes.
Don't lose your breath.
You're forcing it.
Instead, you have to always hold it
like this.
I remember I decided to become a singer
when I heard my mother singing.
She had a wonderful voice.
Her father would not let her sing,
because in Sicily, you know,
unfortunately, at that time it was forbidden.
A woman would be considered a loose woman.
And so poor thing, she had this bitterness
because she never had a chance to sing.
So she said, "If I have a daughter
who has my voice,
she will study singing.'
So, I auditioned at the conservatory,
and they accepted me right away.
Going from student to professional was tough.
In the suburbs, we didn't rehearse very much...
we performed right away.
As they say, 'Make it or break it.'
My opera debut was in "The Barber of Seville."
I handled it really well.
This Is how my career as an opera singer began.
I was singing five months a year,
in the South of Italy, every night,
which I really liked, because
the squares were full of people.
When I performed in "Rigoletto at the Eliseo (opera house in Rome)...
my husband was in the audience...
he was a big orchestra conductor, Maestro Pasquariello.
He was 34 years older than me...
and a little too jealous.
My husband was watching me ...
and when the tenor hugged me,
my husband was upset.
because he hugged me maybe a little too much.
So after the show,
he made a scene.
That's when I decided
not to sing anymore in his presence.
This Is interesting,
come here ...
this is the facade of the house
where it says "Nursing Home for Musicians"
in the original plans.
And Verdi said, "No,
this will never be a nursing home for musicians,
it will be a retirement home for musicians."
And indeed It Is.
Towards the end of his life,
Giuseppe Verdi, together with his second wife.
Giuseppina Strepponi,
had decided to leave something important upon their death:
a retirement home for musicians.
Verdi called all the greatest artists of his time
to build this home...
decorators, glassmakers, sculptors, and bronze workers.
He spared no expense.
Despite being almost 90,
Verdi went to the construction site
to check every single stone.
The home was completed in 1898,
but it remained closed.
Verdi decided that the first guests
should enter after his death.
"THE DEATH OF GIUSEPPE VERDI"
For Verdi, it would have been uncomfortable
to be thanked by his less fortunate colleagues.
At the time in Italy there were no pensions for artists.
At the end of their career,
they often found themselves in need,
not knowing how to face their old age.
There's a letter from Monteverde,
a very close friend of Verdi,
where he asks him,
"Of your operas, which one is your favorite?"
Verdi replied,
"My most beautiful work
is the Retirement Home for Musicians."
Hello
I am getting ready to leave.
Just give me a moment, and I will be there.
Okay, we'll meet downstairs.
Okay...bye.
Now let's go eat!
Let's go...
to fill my belly.
"When I was a valet to the Duke of Norfolk...
I was thin, thin, thin...
I was a mirage: vague, light, gentle...
...gentle, gentle, gentle.
Let's go.
It's easy to get lost here, it's like a labyrinth.
For me, lunch Is a magical moment.
Here, mealtime IS a sacred occasion.
Good morning.
Good morning.
Bon Apptit.
"Let us drink, let us drink
from the happy chalices
that are adorned with beauty...
May this fleeting hour
intoxicate us with pleasure.
Let's drink to the sweet excitement of love.
For a mere glance can conquer your heart.
Let's drink to love,
and to wine that warms our kisses."
From an early age, I lived surrounded by music.
When I was 15, I heard a Stan Kenton record,
and I fell in love with jazz.
Gene Krupa..
Buddy Rich...
...and I fell in love with the drums.
I understood that had to be my profession.
It gave me energy and great joy.
| studied like crazy...
and in a few years,
I became one of the best drummers in Milan.
Then various musicians in Milan started to notice me,
as well as several record labels,
and they started to call me.
My job was to play the drums
for pop music singers.
Mostly Mina...
I worked with her for six years.
I played the San Remo Festival as a drummer.
Between 1960 and 1970.
I played for the great musical company
Garinei e Giovannini.
Here.
1962 sextet Basso Valdambrini.
I'm the one with the snare in my hand.
Last but not least,
I played with Chet Baker,
the great American trumpeter.
Playing with him, was like being in jazz heaven.
I took part in a lot of jazz performances,
which give you fame but...
not a lot of money.
I no longer saw the income I wanted.
When I turned 40,
I stopped playing.
At Casa Verdi, music is incredibly important ...
it's the leitmotif of the day,
and the heart of all the residents' activities.
Your voice is stronger!
What's going on here?
She has a nice voice.
Did you get your nails done today?
Good morning.
This is the most famous and perhaps most beautiful
song by Piero Soffici.
Which one
"When Love Becomes Poetry"
I don't remember the lyrics.
As soon as I play it, you'll remember it.
Let's warm the voice up first with an "A.'
Are you ready, Luciana?
Very good.
Louder.
Beppe, louder.
Some of these residents are suffering
from various diseases
due to age,
such as Alzheimer's or senile dementia,
and therefore, they have major problems with memory.
Through song and melodies,
they can remember
the lyrics of an old song
perhaps tied to their childhood,
or their family,
or their first love,
or to their career.
Music has the power to make them feel better.
This is very important
because it brings back forgotten memories.
I was born in Saga-shi, Japan.
60 years ago. singing Italian opera
was not so widespread.
Everyone sang German songs.
In my last year of studies in Tokyo.
They taught "La Boheme" and "La Traviata,
and it filled me with joy.
I realized that
if I wanted to learn to sing opera properly,
I had to go to Italy.
I was 20 years old and it took me 30 days
to arrive in Italy by ship.
By ship.
Now you can take an airplane...
and in just 10 hours you can go anywhere.
I imagined I would make my debut right away in Italy.
That was my dream.
So. I auditioned at La Scala in Milan,
So, I auditioned at La Scala in Milan,
where they told me that | could enroll In a master class.
Everyday in the morning, I studied voice.
In the afternoon, score.
In the evening, performance.
That's how I learned.
They asked me to sing "The Barber of Seville'
and "Madame Butterfly" too.
I had some difficulties.
Every time I performed, the unions would protest.
"Performers have to be Italian citizens to sing..."
They were calling us, "Invaders from Japan."
In order to stay in Italy, I needed a job,
without one, it was impossible to stay.
So I had to change my career.
The immigration office recommended
that I work in marketing,
and I was able to work as a freelancer.
Since the mid-70s, I lived in Segrate, Italy
but the rent kept going up.
I was having difficulties,
so I asked the city of Segrate for help.
They said,
"Ma'am, you're a musician...
you should apply to Casa Verdi."
I never thought I could be accepted here.
I moved here on November 3rd, 2011,
with just one suitcase.
Here I can play piano,
so I'm very happy.
Thanks to Giuseppe Verdi,
I'm safe.
Since the end of the '90s.
16 International music students
have always lived here at Casa Verdi.
They live here until the end of their studies
at which time they leave their spots to new students.
Start from here.
Don't finish it there.
Start from there.
This is a very wonderful experience
because they build a close bond
with the elderly guests,
but also receive professional advice.
How was it?
Why did you stop?
I wanted to ask you how I was doing.
Now, you have to do It all over again
but In the correct tempo...
this one has two tempos.
"Oh, dear...
Oh, beautiful...
Oh, lucky ribbon...
I will give it back to you only with my life.'
There. Here, you need to act.
"Oh dear, beautiful, lucky ribbon,
I will only give it back to you with my life.'
It's different.
Tragic...tragedy.
Very good.
Careful, here.
This is energy. It must never be lost.
You stopped being in character for a moment.
Do you understand?
I will only give it back to you with my life.'
I would like to talk about
the energy that we need to create
with our instruments
to grab the attention of the audience
and electrify them.
Electric, like your guitar.
It means marrying performance with sound.
Not just hitting the notes,
but also playing what nature inspires in us.
In the end, Verdi also went back to nature for inspiration,
because everything comes from nature...
from the wind,
from a sunset, from birds tweeting.
All these things inspire musicians to create music.
Well then, are you able to forget
everything you've learned...
and suddenly become a performer?
Let's see.
I really don't know, but I'll try.
Let's try.
Very good, Naya. I have an idea...
as I love opposites,
let's try an experiment.
What happens if
we combine the sweet melody of your harp
with the frenzied rhythm of his electric guitar.
Let's try. Come on.
Brava, the result is an example of "twelve-tone music'...
Maestro, I was singing in C minor...
but they were all playing in C major!
Exactly!
So, that's it.
So, that's it.
Very good, you've created an energy.
Thank you, Maestro.
Verdi is considered one of the greatest composers.
His operas are still amongst the most popular
and performed in opera houses across the world.
Verdi's unseen presence and his spirit
soar among the walls of this house.
I came here on April 20, 20089.
And since then, I started to play again
just like I did when I was fully active.
The average age here is 85.
I'M 77,
so, I belong to the young class.
In fact, joking around, they call me "the Kid."
If you keep your mind busy, your body will follow,
and together, they enhance your life.
Creativity keeps the brain fully active,
and this activity also helps with health.
Glauco, please play something of yours.
Come on!
We're the Catenas.
We were married in Catania, Sicily, 1961.
We married for love.
'T's really a great love.
And talking about our grand love,
we always walk holding hands.
People stop to compliment us,
"Such an incredible couple.'
"At that age...
...at that age still holding each other's hands."
Emma, the kids want to give you a Kiss.
The kids want to give you a Kiss.
Oh, thanks.
You can kiss her hand...
You're so nice.
This newspaper has been around for many years.
Every three months, we publish an issue.
It's called, "The Voice of Casa Verdi."
This is an example of the magazine with Verdi.
We try to make it lively,
showing the everyday life of Casa Verdi.
At Casa Verdi
there are many events, many concerts,
and so we have written about these concerts,
where young people perform
and sometimes, even those not so young.
We 30 so many things here,
we're active, we don't rest.
That's why we don't call it a "nursing home"
but instead. a "home for musicians."
Very good.
The residents here are already old,
but the newcomers keep getting older.
It's as if we're trying to break a record.
Music gives them a vitality
and a will to live that allows artists at their age
to keep singing.
Here we are.
The elevator is busy.
What's your floor?
Third floor, but on the other side.
In which part of the house is your room?
I don't know.
You don't know?
I'm on the second floor.
T's like a labyrinth.
Come with me.
Let's go downstairs, I will bring you
to where your son is...
and you can wait for him there, he will come soon.
No wait, your room is over there.
Where are you and your son going to meet?
He will come here, right?
He will come here, wait for him.
- Here.
- Yes, sure.
You can Walt over there.
This Is not your room.
Damn! What am I doing?
Damn!
No, this Is not your room.
Oh, no. I'm sorry.
Your room is downstairs.
You should go downstairs using the elevator.
It looks the same, but you should go downstairs.
This is the second floor,
you should be going to the first floor.
- Oh, I didn't...
- Yes.
Oh, sure.
See, this is your room.
Do you remember?
T's here.
Shall we do the roll call?
Montesano?
Yes, he's here.
Mandelli?
Two Bionda?
Yes! We're here!
Two Catena?
Yes!
No, he's not here.
WELCOME TO VERDI'S LAND, PIACENZA
GIUSE E VERDI OPERA HOUSE
Casa Verdi, Milan.
Bravo, bravo. bravo...
Verdi captured me...
Good! Great performances, good voices.
I'm happy | came.
He brings out unexpected melodies.
That's why Verdi is Verdi.
Viva Verdi!
How was the food?
It was really good! Really, really, good!
A big hand for the kitchen!
Viva Verdi!...\Viva Verdi!
Let's start with "Aida."
I'M a tenor from Italy.
After my studying in Italy, I went to Germanu...
to make my career.
I had a voice in my heart that said to me,
"You have to go to Casa Verdi."
I earning to sing...
you have to learn for your whole life.
No.
Is it open?
Think about it as a "U."
But not here, think it as in the bottom of the throat.
Without closing the throat.
You shouldn't close it...
you should let the sound out gently.
Make a soft sound, a gentle one.
There is no reason to make it so strong.
These older singers have some secrets that
we can't find
IN any books.
The only place
where you can find it...
It's in Casa Verdi.
You're adding too much pressure to the top note.
Instead, no need to add pressure.
You must allow the larynx
to be free to vibrate,
instead you...
The body is old...
the mind Is young.
In Casa Verdi there is something...there is an energy.
I can't explain it.
But it you walk in Casa Verdi,
you feel this energy.
"CHITOSE MATSUMOTO"
This IS my name.
Many people asked me to...if I could sing "Butterfly"
because I'm already Japanese,
so | can move In a Japanese way.
So, | sang many "Butterfly,"
but never "Traviata, it was very difficult.
Physically I'm not adapted...
to sing "Traviata."
I studied so much "Traviata."
I liked it very much,
but I couldn't sing "Traviata."
Sempre libera!
Always...
freel
I sang Gilda in 1966.
It was very successful.
I must do a bis (encore) for "Vendetta."
Talian people like very much "Vendetta."
We sang always twice.
We sang always twice.
Playing piano helps me to keep my brain working.
And singing helps me with respiration through my diaphragm.
And It keeps there.
The diaphragm.
I check my body everyday to see if I'm sick or not.
I must check everyday.
Liver...
lungs...
check everything...vocal cords...
if they are healthy or sick.
Move all parts of your bod...
That Is the secret.
You have beautiful white hair.
Have you used some...
- no dye...another product?
- No, I just made it shine a little.
How old am I?
I can't remember.
Better not to say it out loud.
99?
A little less...96.
- 967
- 96!
Does my hair look ok?
Yes, you look beautiful.
That's good.
Happy birthday to you...
...nappy birthday to Tina...
Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you all!
Again.
Brava!
Wonderful!
I had a puppet theater that my grandfather built me.
There, I showcased all the operas I heard on the radio...
at that time there was no TV...
and I remember I played "La Boheme."
'La Boheme" was the opera I sang most often in my life,
and it was my first opera.
It's always a great emotion to be in this place.
And I'm not nostalgic...
I'm not one who thinks a lot about the past.
But, certainly coming back to this place
I remember all the excitement I had here,
the greatest excitement.
My father left me in Trieste when I was six.
He went to America as an illegal immigrant,
SO, we never had any news of him.
Therefore, my family was not very comfortable financially.
My mother no longer had
the income from my father's salary,
she had to work as a seamstress.
I remember that I always said to myself,
I want to sing for my father at
the Metropolitan one day.
And, that was my main goal for all those years,
because I felt that day would arrive
when I would sing for my father at the Metropolitan.
Unfortunately, this didn't happen
until the day I turned 50 years old.
I was in this very opera house, singing "The Marriage of Figaro,"
with Maestro Muti.
He told me, "Giombi, they want you at the Metropolitan.
"But come on, Maestro, that's a joke."
He replied, "No kidding - really, I'm saying that
Maestro Kleiber absolutely wants you."
I had already performed "La Boheme" many times
with him here at La Scala.
And so,
Maestro Kleiber, on the day of my 50th birthday
gifted me the dream of my life,
and I sang "La Boheme" at the Metropolitan in the U.S.
with Pavarotti and Freni.
Customhouse Officer Ray Morrison
Customhouse Officer Ray Morrison
But my father never came to the opera house.
Later when I met him,
I was deeply disappointed,
and from that moment on,
I never heard from him again.
And I forgot about him.
Ciao, my dear,
another day has gone.
Each day that passes the earth moves away
and the sky gets closer.
Bye, my love.
May you rest In peace
waiting for me to arrive.
Bye, my dear.
Some of the guests welcomed me warmly,
we built a great friendship at the dining table.
But two friends have since passed.
And I'm a little saddened, because
they really cared for me.
We do have to face death.
One day, it comes for everyone.
So I dwell on it, unfortunately.
If I could meet Giuseppe Verdi,
I would give him a huge hug.
Because he was the only person
who thought of us, poor musicians.
Music Is the most beautiful art
because it enters your soul.
When you listen to beautiful music like Verdi's,
or like that of other great artists,
who have something to say,
because when they wrote music
they wrote from the heart,
you feel different, when you listen to it.
You sing, and you become a different person.
I came here in 1998.
My husband lived here for two years, then he died.
My life changed a lot.
I had my room, he had his.
We only saw each other only when we went to eat.
And this was a good thing for me.
My husband was very talented,
but he had a terrible personality.
I finally felt free.
My great man. Verdi!
And when I started to perform again, here,
I was happy again.
Continuing my career was wonderful
because it was always my life's dream.
The art of singing is the most beautiful, because
singing washes away all the bitterness
and you feel like you're in another dimension.
What I like the most about living at Casa Verdi,
IS being surrounded by music.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
Don't worry, it's all good.
I'm hoarse...
No, I can't do it, I'm sorry.
- Don't worry, it's ok.
- I'm so sorry.
It's too high...
I will sing it another time, sorry again.
I'm ashamed.
Don't worry about it.
Thank you.
I have something in my throat.
I don't feel that old.
I don't feel that old.
I feel like I'm living a second life.
Everyone says that at 80 years old, you're done.
I really like freedom!
| still have something to say.
I still would like to show the path
show the way, to youngsters
who need to know and understand
that life Is a maze
in which you must not lose yourself.
Tomorrow will be my 84th birthday.
I love life.
But I also don't mind thinking about the end,
Because obviously it will come,
and it can come at any time.
I would like to get there
with a smile on my face...
...accepting it, smiling.
Casa Verdi is unique in the world because
it's a museum house
ilnhabited by older musicians.
The whole world comes to see Casa Verdi
and the residents who live here.
So, they are always performing.
Welcome to Mr. Giombi's apartment.
La Scala Opera House, Milan, Italy 1994
This is a portrait by Dimini,
a very esteemed painter from Trieste,
who captured the shaman in me.
This is the secret room of my wife, Catherine...
...a British actress
who teaches English here.
I entered Casa Verdi five years ago,
so I could take care of my wife Catherine,
who was starting to have some serious health problems.
We thought we both needed help,
and that's what we found at Casa Verdi.
This Is my room.
Here are some moments
of my over 40-year artistic career.
That's me at the Met in New York
with the great Luciano Pavarotti,
from "La Boheme."
This is Franco Zeffirelli in Tokyo.
And, here's my dear maestro, Carlos Kleiber.
I really loved him.
He wrote this dedication to me,
"To the great Giombi, with affection.
But...
there is something else you may like.
Here lies all my past in a suitcase.
Claudio Giombi...
as he was,
and as he is now.
It gives me chills!
And here, I'm playing my favorite character, Baron Scarpia,
in the opera "Tosca."
THE BEE
I didn't think I would ever play again at my age,
instead, here I keep on performing...
I started playing when I was six,
so I've been playing for a lifetime.
Then, I entered the conservatory at age 11
and at 19, I got my diploma in Milan.
A female orchestra was created in the city of Rho, Italy.
| joined it...
but we weren't paid.
It was hard for women to join an orchestra.
They used to hire men because
men were the breadwinners for the family.
It wasn't easy.
Let's just say, I needed to make money to live.
Since I also played the viola,
I was able to work in pop music as well.
I made some recordings,
and also played in some festivals.
like San Remo and Saint Vincent.
But it wasn't a permanent job,
however. I also played for various operas.
I also spent time in Rio De Janeiro.
I married a musician
who was hired for a job in Rio de Janeiro.
He played in the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra.
When I arrived there,
I wanted to play in that orchestra as well.
So the orchestra director said to my husband,
'Bring her over.
I auditioned, performing a piece by myself,
as brave as a lion.
And then the director put me with the lead violins,
and I became part of the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra.
Obviously, it went well.
Rent was very expensive there.
And my husband was homesick for Italy.
Not me.
To be honest, I was fine there.
I liked living in Rio.
We returned to Italy after two years.
I was already familiar with Casa Verdi,
because I had attended concerts here,
and so I came here happily.
I've been living at Casa Verdi for 14 years.
At this age, music is still useful,
and it helps me to live.
An hour a day of playing music
helps me pass the time.
And... I still have the courage to perform.
Are you getting rid of this one?
Mine is still hiding in the deck.
Yes.
Don't lose your breath.
You're forcing it.
Instead, you have to always hold it
like this.
I remember I decided to become a singer
when I heard my mother singing.
She had a wonderful voice.
Her father would not let her sing,
because in Sicily, you know,
unfortunately, at that time it was forbidden.
A woman would be considered a loose woman.
And so poor thing, she had this bitterness
because she never had a chance to sing.
So she said, "If I have a daughter
who has my voice,
she will study singing.'
So, I auditioned at the conservatory,
and they accepted me right away.
Going from student to professional was tough.
In the suburbs, we didn't rehearse very much...
we performed right away.
As they say, 'Make it or break it.'
My opera debut was in "The Barber of Seville."
I handled it really well.
This Is how my career as an opera singer began.
I was singing five months a year,
in the South of Italy, every night,
which I really liked, because
the squares were full of people.
When I performed in "Rigoletto at the Eliseo (opera house in Rome)...
my husband was in the audience...
he was a big orchestra conductor, Maestro Pasquariello.
He was 34 years older than me...
and a little too jealous.
My husband was watching me ...
and when the tenor hugged me,
my husband was upset.
because he hugged me maybe a little too much.
So after the show,
he made a scene.
That's when I decided
not to sing anymore in his presence.
This Is interesting,
come here ...
this is the facade of the house
where it says "Nursing Home for Musicians"
in the original plans.
And Verdi said, "No,
this will never be a nursing home for musicians,
it will be a retirement home for musicians."
And indeed It Is.
Towards the end of his life,
Giuseppe Verdi, together with his second wife.
Giuseppina Strepponi,
had decided to leave something important upon their death:
a retirement home for musicians.
Verdi called all the greatest artists of his time
to build this home...
decorators, glassmakers, sculptors, and bronze workers.
He spared no expense.
Despite being almost 90,
Verdi went to the construction site
to check every single stone.
The home was completed in 1898,
but it remained closed.
Verdi decided that the first guests
should enter after his death.
"THE DEATH OF GIUSEPPE VERDI"
For Verdi, it would have been uncomfortable
to be thanked by his less fortunate colleagues.
At the time in Italy there were no pensions for artists.
At the end of their career,
they often found themselves in need,
not knowing how to face their old age.
There's a letter from Monteverde,
a very close friend of Verdi,
where he asks him,
"Of your operas, which one is your favorite?"
Verdi replied,
"My most beautiful work
is the Retirement Home for Musicians."
Hello
I am getting ready to leave.
Just give me a moment, and I will be there.
Okay, we'll meet downstairs.
Okay...bye.
Now let's go eat!
Let's go...
to fill my belly.
"When I was a valet to the Duke of Norfolk...
I was thin, thin, thin...
I was a mirage: vague, light, gentle...
...gentle, gentle, gentle.
Let's go.
It's easy to get lost here, it's like a labyrinth.
For me, lunch Is a magical moment.
Here, mealtime IS a sacred occasion.
Good morning.
Good morning.
Bon Apptit.
"Let us drink, let us drink
from the happy chalices
that are adorned with beauty...
May this fleeting hour
intoxicate us with pleasure.
Let's drink to the sweet excitement of love.
For a mere glance can conquer your heart.
Let's drink to love,
and to wine that warms our kisses."
From an early age, I lived surrounded by music.
When I was 15, I heard a Stan Kenton record,
and I fell in love with jazz.
Gene Krupa..
Buddy Rich...
...and I fell in love with the drums.
I understood that had to be my profession.
It gave me energy and great joy.
| studied like crazy...
and in a few years,
I became one of the best drummers in Milan.
Then various musicians in Milan started to notice me,
as well as several record labels,
and they started to call me.
My job was to play the drums
for pop music singers.
Mostly Mina...
I worked with her for six years.
I played the San Remo Festival as a drummer.
Between 1960 and 1970.
I played for the great musical company
Garinei e Giovannini.
Here.
1962 sextet Basso Valdambrini.
I'm the one with the snare in my hand.
Last but not least,
I played with Chet Baker,
the great American trumpeter.
Playing with him, was like being in jazz heaven.
I took part in a lot of jazz performances,
which give you fame but...
not a lot of money.
I no longer saw the income I wanted.
When I turned 40,
I stopped playing.
At Casa Verdi, music is incredibly important ...
it's the leitmotif of the day,
and the heart of all the residents' activities.
Your voice is stronger!
What's going on here?
She has a nice voice.
Did you get your nails done today?
Good morning.
This is the most famous and perhaps most beautiful
song by Piero Soffici.
Which one
"When Love Becomes Poetry"
I don't remember the lyrics.
As soon as I play it, you'll remember it.
Let's warm the voice up first with an "A.'
Are you ready, Luciana?
Very good.
Louder.
Beppe, louder.
Some of these residents are suffering
from various diseases
due to age,
such as Alzheimer's or senile dementia,
and therefore, they have major problems with memory.
Through song and melodies,
they can remember
the lyrics of an old song
perhaps tied to their childhood,
or their family,
or their first love,
or to their career.
Music has the power to make them feel better.
This is very important
because it brings back forgotten memories.
I was born in Saga-shi, Japan.
60 years ago. singing Italian opera
was not so widespread.
Everyone sang German songs.
In my last year of studies in Tokyo.
They taught "La Boheme" and "La Traviata,
and it filled me with joy.
I realized that
if I wanted to learn to sing opera properly,
I had to go to Italy.
I was 20 years old and it took me 30 days
to arrive in Italy by ship.
By ship.
Now you can take an airplane...
and in just 10 hours you can go anywhere.
I imagined I would make my debut right away in Italy.
That was my dream.
So. I auditioned at La Scala in Milan,
So, I auditioned at La Scala in Milan,
where they told me that | could enroll In a master class.
Everyday in the morning, I studied voice.
In the afternoon, score.
In the evening, performance.
That's how I learned.
They asked me to sing "The Barber of Seville'
and "Madame Butterfly" too.
I had some difficulties.
Every time I performed, the unions would protest.
"Performers have to be Italian citizens to sing..."
They were calling us, "Invaders from Japan."
In order to stay in Italy, I needed a job,
without one, it was impossible to stay.
So I had to change my career.
The immigration office recommended
that I work in marketing,
and I was able to work as a freelancer.
Since the mid-70s, I lived in Segrate, Italy
but the rent kept going up.
I was having difficulties,
so I asked the city of Segrate for help.
They said,
"Ma'am, you're a musician...
you should apply to Casa Verdi."
I never thought I could be accepted here.
I moved here on November 3rd, 2011,
with just one suitcase.
Here I can play piano,
so I'm very happy.
Thanks to Giuseppe Verdi,
I'm safe.
Since the end of the '90s.
16 International music students
have always lived here at Casa Verdi.
They live here until the end of their studies
at which time they leave their spots to new students.
Start from here.
Don't finish it there.
Start from there.
This is a very wonderful experience
because they build a close bond
with the elderly guests,
but also receive professional advice.
How was it?
Why did you stop?
I wanted to ask you how I was doing.
Now, you have to do It all over again
but In the correct tempo...
this one has two tempos.
"Oh, dear...
Oh, beautiful...
Oh, lucky ribbon...
I will give it back to you only with my life.'
There. Here, you need to act.
"Oh dear, beautiful, lucky ribbon,
I will only give it back to you with my life.'
It's different.
Tragic...tragedy.
Very good.
Careful, here.
This is energy. It must never be lost.
You stopped being in character for a moment.
Do you understand?
I will only give it back to you with my life.'
I would like to talk about
the energy that we need to create
with our instruments
to grab the attention of the audience
and electrify them.
Electric, like your guitar.
It means marrying performance with sound.
Not just hitting the notes,
but also playing what nature inspires in us.
In the end, Verdi also went back to nature for inspiration,
because everything comes from nature...
from the wind,
from a sunset, from birds tweeting.
All these things inspire musicians to create music.
Well then, are you able to forget
everything you've learned...
and suddenly become a performer?
Let's see.
I really don't know, but I'll try.
Let's try.
Very good, Naya. I have an idea...
as I love opposites,
let's try an experiment.
What happens if
we combine the sweet melody of your harp
with the frenzied rhythm of his electric guitar.
Let's try. Come on.
Brava, the result is an example of "twelve-tone music'...
Maestro, I was singing in C minor...
but they were all playing in C major!
Exactly!
So, that's it.
So, that's it.
Very good, you've created an energy.
Thank you, Maestro.
Verdi is considered one of the greatest composers.
His operas are still amongst the most popular
and performed in opera houses across the world.
Verdi's unseen presence and his spirit
soar among the walls of this house.
I came here on April 20, 20089.
And since then, I started to play again
just like I did when I was fully active.
The average age here is 85.
I'M 77,
so, I belong to the young class.
In fact, joking around, they call me "the Kid."
If you keep your mind busy, your body will follow,
and together, they enhance your life.
Creativity keeps the brain fully active,
and this activity also helps with health.
Glauco, please play something of yours.
Come on!
We're the Catenas.
We were married in Catania, Sicily, 1961.
We married for love.
'T's really a great love.
And talking about our grand love,
we always walk holding hands.
People stop to compliment us,
"Such an incredible couple.'
"At that age...
...at that age still holding each other's hands."
Emma, the kids want to give you a Kiss.
The kids want to give you a Kiss.
Oh, thanks.
You can kiss her hand...
You're so nice.
This newspaper has been around for many years.
Every three months, we publish an issue.
It's called, "The Voice of Casa Verdi."
This is an example of the magazine with Verdi.
We try to make it lively,
showing the everyday life of Casa Verdi.
At Casa Verdi
there are many events, many concerts,
and so we have written about these concerts,
where young people perform
and sometimes, even those not so young.
We 30 so many things here,
we're active, we don't rest.
That's why we don't call it a "nursing home"
but instead. a "home for musicians."
Very good.
The residents here are already old,
but the newcomers keep getting older.
It's as if we're trying to break a record.
Music gives them a vitality
and a will to live that allows artists at their age
to keep singing.
Here we are.
The elevator is busy.
What's your floor?
Third floor, but on the other side.
In which part of the house is your room?
I don't know.
You don't know?
I'm on the second floor.
T's like a labyrinth.
Come with me.
Let's go downstairs, I will bring you
to where your son is...
and you can wait for him there, he will come soon.
No wait, your room is over there.
Where are you and your son going to meet?
He will come here, right?
He will come here, wait for him.
- Here.
- Yes, sure.
You can Walt over there.
This Is not your room.
Damn! What am I doing?
Damn!
No, this Is not your room.
Oh, no. I'm sorry.
Your room is downstairs.
You should go downstairs using the elevator.
It looks the same, but you should go downstairs.
This is the second floor,
you should be going to the first floor.
- Oh, I didn't...
- Yes.
Oh, sure.
See, this is your room.
Do you remember?
T's here.
Shall we do the roll call?
Montesano?
Yes, he's here.
Mandelli?
Two Bionda?
Yes! We're here!
Two Catena?
Yes!
No, he's not here.
WELCOME TO VERDI'S LAND, PIACENZA
GIUSE E VERDI OPERA HOUSE
Casa Verdi, Milan.
Bravo, bravo. bravo...
Verdi captured me...
Good! Great performances, good voices.
I'm happy | came.
He brings out unexpected melodies.
That's why Verdi is Verdi.
Viva Verdi!
How was the food?
It was really good! Really, really, good!
A big hand for the kitchen!
Viva Verdi!...\Viva Verdi!
Let's start with "Aida."
I'M a tenor from Italy.
After my studying in Italy, I went to Germanu...
to make my career.
I had a voice in my heart that said to me,
"You have to go to Casa Verdi."
I earning to sing...
you have to learn for your whole life.
No.
Is it open?
Think about it as a "U."
But not here, think it as in the bottom of the throat.
Without closing the throat.
You shouldn't close it...
you should let the sound out gently.
Make a soft sound, a gentle one.
There is no reason to make it so strong.
These older singers have some secrets that
we can't find
IN any books.
The only place
where you can find it...
It's in Casa Verdi.
You're adding too much pressure to the top note.
Instead, no need to add pressure.
You must allow the larynx
to be free to vibrate,
instead you...
The body is old...
the mind Is young.
In Casa Verdi there is something...there is an energy.
I can't explain it.
But it you walk in Casa Verdi,
you feel this energy.
"CHITOSE MATSUMOTO"
This IS my name.
Many people asked me to...if I could sing "Butterfly"
because I'm already Japanese,
so | can move In a Japanese way.
So, | sang many "Butterfly,"
but never "Traviata, it was very difficult.
Physically I'm not adapted...
to sing "Traviata."
I studied so much "Traviata."
I liked it very much,
but I couldn't sing "Traviata."
Sempre libera!
Always...
freel
I sang Gilda in 1966.
It was very successful.
I must do a bis (encore) for "Vendetta."
Talian people like very much "Vendetta."
We sang always twice.
We sang always twice.
Playing piano helps me to keep my brain working.
And singing helps me with respiration through my diaphragm.
And It keeps there.
The diaphragm.
I check my body everyday to see if I'm sick or not.
I must check everyday.
Liver...
lungs...
check everything...vocal cords...
if they are healthy or sick.
Move all parts of your bod...
That Is the secret.
You have beautiful white hair.
Have you used some...
- no dye...another product?
- No, I just made it shine a little.
How old am I?
I can't remember.
Better not to say it out loud.
99?
A little less...96.
- 967
- 96!
Does my hair look ok?
Yes, you look beautiful.
That's good.
Happy birthday to you...
...nappy birthday to Tina...
Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you all!
Again.
Brava!
Wonderful!
I had a puppet theater that my grandfather built me.
There, I showcased all the operas I heard on the radio...
at that time there was no TV...
and I remember I played "La Boheme."
'La Boheme" was the opera I sang most often in my life,
and it was my first opera.
It's always a great emotion to be in this place.
And I'm not nostalgic...
I'm not one who thinks a lot about the past.
But, certainly coming back to this place
I remember all the excitement I had here,
the greatest excitement.
My father left me in Trieste when I was six.
He went to America as an illegal immigrant,
SO, we never had any news of him.
Therefore, my family was not very comfortable financially.
My mother no longer had
the income from my father's salary,
she had to work as a seamstress.
I remember that I always said to myself,
I want to sing for my father at
the Metropolitan one day.
And, that was my main goal for all those years,
because I felt that day would arrive
when I would sing for my father at the Metropolitan.
Unfortunately, this didn't happen
until the day I turned 50 years old.
I was in this very opera house, singing "The Marriage of Figaro,"
with Maestro Muti.
He told me, "Giombi, they want you at the Metropolitan.
"But come on, Maestro, that's a joke."
He replied, "No kidding - really, I'm saying that
Maestro Kleiber absolutely wants you."
I had already performed "La Boheme" many times
with him here at La Scala.
And so,
Maestro Kleiber, on the day of my 50th birthday
gifted me the dream of my life,
and I sang "La Boheme" at the Metropolitan in the U.S.
with Pavarotti and Freni.
Customhouse Officer Ray Morrison
Customhouse Officer Ray Morrison
But my father never came to the opera house.
Later when I met him,
I was deeply disappointed,
and from that moment on,
I never heard from him again.
And I forgot about him.
Ciao, my dear,
another day has gone.
Each day that passes the earth moves away
and the sky gets closer.
Bye, my love.
May you rest In peace
waiting for me to arrive.
Bye, my dear.
Some of the guests welcomed me warmly,
we built a great friendship at the dining table.
But two friends have since passed.
And I'm a little saddened, because
they really cared for me.
We do have to face death.
One day, it comes for everyone.
So I dwell on it, unfortunately.
If I could meet Giuseppe Verdi,
I would give him a huge hug.
Because he was the only person
who thought of us, poor musicians.
Music Is the most beautiful art
because it enters your soul.
When you listen to beautiful music like Verdi's,
or like that of other great artists,
who have something to say,
because when they wrote music
they wrote from the heart,
you feel different, when you listen to it.
You sing, and you become a different person.
I came here in 1998.
My husband lived here for two years, then he died.
My life changed a lot.
I had my room, he had his.
We only saw each other only when we went to eat.
And this was a good thing for me.
My husband was very talented,
but he had a terrible personality.
I finally felt free.
My great man. Verdi!
And when I started to perform again, here,
I was happy again.
Continuing my career was wonderful
because it was always my life's dream.
The art of singing is the most beautiful, because
singing washes away all the bitterness
and you feel like you're in another dimension.
What I like the most about living at Casa Verdi,
IS being surrounded by music.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.
Don't worry, it's all good.
I'm hoarse...
No, I can't do it, I'm sorry.
- Don't worry, it's ok.
- I'm so sorry.
It's too high...
I will sing it another time, sorry again.
I'm ashamed.
Don't worry about it.
Thank you.
I have something in my throat.
I don't feel that old.
I don't feel that old.
I feel like I'm living a second life.
Everyone says that at 80 years old, you're done.
I really like freedom!
| still have something to say.
I still would like to show the path
show the way, to youngsters
who need to know and understand
that life Is a maze
in which you must not lose yourself.
Tomorrow will be my 84th birthday.
I love life.
But I also don't mind thinking about the end,
Because obviously it will come,
and it can come at any time.
I would like to get there
with a smile on my face...
...accepting it, smiling.