A statue of Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi in front of "Casa Verdi," a retirement home built in December 1899 for musicians who found themselves poverty-stricken in old age. Casa Verdi is run by the Giuseppe Verdi Foundation. Miguel Medina/AFP via Getty Images
“This is my finest achievement,” opera composer Giuseppe Verdi said of Casa di Riposo per Musicisti. The “House of Repose for Musicians” in Milan is the retirement home known as “Casa Verdi.” He built the home in 1899 for “old singers not favored by fortune, or who, when they were young, did not possess the virtue of saving,” Verdi wrote in a letter to his friend, sculptor Giulio Monteverde.
Composer of some of the greatest operas ever written, such as, “Rigoletto,” “La Traviata,” “Aida,” “Il Trovatore,” “Nabucco,” “Don Carlos,” “La Forza del Destino,” “Otello,” and the stunningly powerful “Messa da Requiem,” Verdi is buried at Casa Verdi alongside his wife, soprano Giuseppina Strepponi.
“I’m eliminating the bother of having too many people coming to visit me at your home after I’m dead,” Verdi said about being buried there instead of at his villa.
Verdi was born Oct. 10, 1813 in Le Roncole, Italy and died in 1901. The retirement home opened one year later, as he requested that “he did not wish to be thanked by those who would benefit from his generosity,” the foundation website explains.
The first nine “guests,” as Verdi insisted they be called, entered the beautiful neo-Gothic building on Oct. 10, 1902, Verdi’s birthday.
“Il Bacio di Tosca,” or “Tosca’s Kiss,” is Swiss filmmaker Daniel Schmid’s loving look at Casa Verdi, and some of the grand, still vibrant and passionate guests who reside there. The 1984 documentary focuses on Italian soprano Sara Scuderi, a great interpreter of Verdi and Giacomo Puccini in her day.
The film opens on a snowy front exterior of the neo-Gothic structure, slowly panning in as outside traffic noise gradually transitions to the sound of music and the voices inside. Standing in a hallway, a warmly smiling attendant invites 78-year-old Scuderi into the shot as she names some of opera that Scuderi’s appeared in: “‘Tosca,’ ‘La Bohème,’ ‘Manon.’”
Once Scuderi is in view, the soprano begins singing the famous Act II aria “Vissi d’arte” from Giacomo Puccini’s opera “Tosca.” In a still clear, beautiful voice, her impromptu, unaccompanied version is not as youthful and strong as before, but her emotional sincerity is, even while singing in a hallway.
Italian soprano Sara Scuderi, a great interpreter of Verdi, in a scene from "Tosca's Kiss." T&C Film, Zürich
Such energy and passion are also on display in the appearances of mustachioed baritone Giuseppe Manacchini and tenor Leonida Bellon, the latter astonishing this viewer with the vigor of his still-powerful singing. Manacchini takes great pride in showing off his elegant, old opera costumes as he pulls them out of a trunk.
Guests at Casa Verdi pay “on a sliding scale, according to their means. ... In addition to room, board, and medical treatment, they have access to concerts, music rooms, 15 pianos, a large organ, harps, drum sets and the company of their peers,” said Sally McGrane in a 2018 New York Times article. At the time of the article, t60 retired musicians lived there.
“First, they need music. Second, they want to be treated not as common guests, but as special guests—as a star.” Roberto Ruozi, president of the foundation said in the article. “‘We have 60 old musicians and 60 stars.’”
Verdi bequeathed all the royalties from his music to fund the Home, but that stopped in the 1950s. “Then his music entered the public domain, becoming free to everyone. That left Casa Verdi without vital funding,” said Ruozi in Christopher Livesay’s 2018 PBS NewsHour weekend broadcast. “Fortunately the administrators of the house invested this money in … apartments, buildings. Now we have more than 100 apartments that we rent to people. And with the rentals, we finance the house,” he said.
Donations from other famous musicians, such as tenor Luciano Pavarotti and the heirs of conductor Arturo Toscanini have helped as well, he added. Contributions from the Italian government began when royalties ran out, but it wasn’t enough.
Benefactors had to step up and step in. The foundation website notes: “The entire legacy of Arrigo Boito, musician and author of the libretti of ‘Falstaff’ and ‘Otello,’ was given to the rest home by his heir, Senator Luigi Albertini.” Arrigo’s brother Camillo was the architect for Casa Verdi.
In the film, a scene opens on a group of lady guests sitting around a table, discussing how many lira they’ve won or lost at cards. Later, they might attend a pre-dinner concert in the Sala d’Onore—Hall of Honour—which is lined with paintings of composers. From time to time, they hear singers from La Scala Opera who go over to sing at the regularly held concerts. Sometimes, the residents perform.
“Young and old musicians take their meals together in a room dedicated to Puccini. … Every table is named after one of Verdi’s works,” stated Hannah Roberts in a 2018 Financial Times article. Some of the guests use regular practice as therapy. Listening to and discussing music is also used as a means to stimulate motor skills and memory. One of the oldest guests died at 106, the average age is 89, said Roberts.
A Lease on Life
The young musicians were added in 1998, when the foundation decided to make some changes. “In addition to hosting older musicians ... the Home has been hosting young, deserving, needy music students who are enrolled at music schools recognized in Milan.” Mixing the generations has had many benefits for all concerned. Young singers can take lessons from the polished pros, and they bring their youthful energy into the House of Repose.
Corrado Neri, a singer and composer from Sicily, was one. “When I first came to Milan I really struggled to find a place to stay and study,” said Neri, then 25-years-old. "I had applied to Casa Verdi and two years later they called to say there was a place. It was the best thing that could have happened to me. These people are my family and best supporters, I have learned so much from them.”
In McGrane’s Independent article, the then 89-year-old conductor Armando Gatto, had just won biscotti and chocolate bars in a game of Bingo; he said, “We speak about the music, the life, the memories. … It’s lovely to be in this company.”
“Tosca’s Kiss” is not the depressing, retirement home film one might expect. Schmid captured life, enthusiasm and the bright personalities of the funny, egotistical, and inspiring guests.
“Tosca’s Kiss” is available on “Hoopla”
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Helena Elling
Author
Helena Elling is a singer and freelance writer living in Scottsdale, Arizona.
