The thought of moving into a retirement home is unpleasant to most people. Being stuck with a bunch of random strangers makes some people retreat into themselves, whilst others feel unsafe to express who they really are, and still others feel intellectually frustrated. But what if you could move into a place full of other people who shared your passions, and rather than just fading away together you could resurrect forgotten skills, acquire new ones and be part of something beautiful and creative?
Casa Verdi, formally known as the Casa di Riposo per Musicisti, was founded by the great composer Giuseppe Verdi in 1896, when he was 83. It was this, rather than any of his operas, that he regarded as his greatest achievement, and it’s still running today, in the heart of Milan. Yvonne Russo’s documentary takes a look inside, giving viewers a glimpse of a thriving community where life is anything but slow.
Sad to say, many retirement homes don’t see a lot of visitors come through their doors. Here, young people are a constant presence – students coming to learn from the masters. Age is respected, skill revered. Not all of the students are looking for careers in opera, and the song that emerges from the film, a song now nominated for an Oscar, brings together traditional and present day styles, uniting its different elements in the process. This also reflects the flexibility which has allowed the home to survive over time. Originally just for retired opera singers, it now houses musicians from many disciplines, whose unique forms of musical expression all add to the character of the piece.
This is not a film about famous names. Opera fans may recognise one or two, but Russo has the confidence to approach each resident in the same way, teasing out a multitude of stories. Although we spend only a little time with each, they deliver some fascinating anecdotes and build up a composite picture of what it has been like to pursue a career in classical music over the past century.
The film is tightly directed and does not overstay its welcome. The luxurious aspects of the building are there to be enjoyed but not dwelt on, with judicious editing keeping our focus where Russo wants it to be. Faces lined with their own history give voice to tales and melodies that loop back through the ages. Here a suitcase full of photographs; there a memory emerging from a song. Where they come together, the spirit of Verdi is alive.
US readers can currently catch Viva Verdi! streaming on Jolt.
Reviewed on: 30 Jan 2026
