FILMING IS VIRTUALLY COMPLETE. HELP US MEET POST-PRODUCTIONS COSTS – EDITING, LEGAL, USE OF COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL, etc. – SO WE MAY BRING “27” TO THE WORLD IN 2015.
Meet the people of Parma for whom Giuseppe Verdi’s 27 operas transcend art and entertainment to become something of a life-force, a moral compass found not just in the composer’s sublime music but also in the example of his extraordinary actions. With Parma’s super-exclusive and utterly fascinating “Club of 27” at its center, “27” explores the several unique aspects of Parma’s legendary and still-vibrant opera culture. From the storied ambiance of its Teatro Regio – known the world over as the world’s “toughest” opera house – to the working class neighborhoods where opera was once the soundtrack to daily life, the parmigiani will reveal with deep insight, warmth and humor their fierce connection especially to this towering figure of Italy’s own struggle for independence and national identity. As this local culture is explored, a heartfelt and unforgettable portrait of Verdi the artist and man emerges, whose “enduring legacy of music, charity, patriotism, honour, grace, and reason” speaks to our world today with astonishing relevance. For the people of Parma, passing this legacy onto the next generation is a cultural imperative, essential for defining what it means to be “Italian” in a globalized world.
Some of the venues where “27” has been presented as a work-in-progress:
• Teatro Regio, Parma, Italy (Festival Verdi 2012) • Corale G. Verdi, Parma, Italy • Universita’ di Parma, Italy • Metropolitan Opera Guild Learning Ctr, NYC • The Player’s Club, NYC • The Great Auditorium, Ocean Grove, NJ • Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo’, NYU • Casa Duse, Brooklyn, NY • The Lenox Club, Lenox MA • Hotel des Artistes, NYC
In October 2013,”27” was honored by the American Institute for Verdi Studies and selected to be the Inaugural Event at the 5-day 2013 Bicentennial Symposium “Verdi’s Third Century.
In Italian with English subtitles; some sequences in English Approximate running time: 80 minutes Scheduled completion date: 2015