Those of us fortunate enough to have employment in our chosen field should have (in theory) a pension / superannuation plan to take care of us in our autumn years. Sadly, some professions including ones that bring us most joy don’t always look after the practitioners. Opera composer Giuseppi Verdi knew that so he did something about it.

Welcome to episode 134 of See Hear Podcast.

It’s our first episode back after a hiatus, and what a film we have to talk about. Kerry and I were thrilled to have film producer Christine La Monte join us. She and director Yvonne Russo have brought into the world a film guaranteed to bring happiness to all who see it – Viva Verdi!

Giuseppi Verdi seems to have been a rare beast in the arts world – he was financially secure into his later years. He realised that many of his fellow travellers however (composers, musicians, singers) did not have a pension in their later years when they could not work. Verdi had a philanthropic background, and so he decided to develop a retirement home for musicians.

The documentary Viva Verdi takes a look at the residents of Casa Verdi over the last few years. All these musicians (mostly in their 80s and 90s) are still vital and have stories to tell and work to do. Keeping musically active in the retirement home helps keep dementia at bay, and makes the residents feel as important as they ever were. Christine tells us about her childhood love of opera when her peers were into rock and roll, the wonderful people she and Yvonne met, Verdi’s generosity….and Kerry and I agree that Viva Verdi was robbed at the Oscars.

We also briefly explore another opera related documentary Christine produced “Ai Weiwei's Turandot”. As opposed to Viva Verdi which celebrates the individual, the Aiweiwei documentary looks at the themes of opera to celebrate the collective. It’s social commentary in a world gone mad.

At the time of posting this, Viva Verdi is only available for streaming in North America, though, Christine is working on a wider distribution method. It's having limited cinema screenings in the US, or it can be streamed at https://www.jolt.film/ (if you're outside the US, you'll need to turn on your VPN...don't get me started on these archaic region rules....) It's a wonderful film and worth the effort. Our conversation, however, is self contained, so you can listen and enjoy without having seen the film.

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