Italian opera stars unite to save Giuseppe Verdi's villa from auction

On Monday, November 21, a free gala concert will be held at Milan's Teatro Lirico Giorgio Gaber, organized by prominent Italian opera singers, including tenor Francesco Meli. This event aims to raise awareness and urge the government to protect Villa Verdi in Sant'Agata, where the composer resided for over 50 years, near Busseto. The villa, which features an exotic garden with a ginkgo biloba and a persimmon tree where Verdi found solace, has recently closed to the public and is set for auction. The initiative, 'Uniti per Verdi,' was inspired by a public plea from baritone Luca Salsi on Instagram. Other participating artists include Eleonora Buratto, Massimo Cavalletti, and Riccardo Zanellato, with an orchestra led by conductors Riccardo Frizza, Michele Gamba, and Sesto Quattrini. The historic Società del Quartetto, chaired by Signora Borletti Buitoni, financed the organization. Meli stresses that this concert is not a fundraiser but a plea for government action, criticizing the trend of paid concerts by major Italian theaters that exploit artists. He likens the preservation of Verdi's legacy to that of Mozart's house in Salzburg and Chopin's in Warsaw, asserting that Verdi is a vital symbol of Italian culture. The concert will be streamed live on Corriere della Sera's website.