CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC “G. VERDI”

The Conservatory of Music “Giuseppe Verdi” in Milan is an institution that embodies two centuries of musical and educational history in the city. Its origins date back to 1807, when, by royal decree signed by Viceroy Eugène de Beauharnais, the city, then capital of the Cisalpine Republic, saw its establishment in the cloisters of the former convent of the church of Santa Maria della Passione. The inauguration took place on 3rd September 1808, with the publication of the first studies.

The building covers over 13,000 m² and stands on one of the original cloisters of the Santa Maria della Passione’s complex. Over the years, it has been used for a wide range of purposes: classrooms, concert halls, a library, offices and a valuable collection of historical instruments. Today, one of the Conservatory’s crown jewels is the Verdi Hall (or Sala Grande): built on the site of the church’s original cloister, it suffered severe damage during the bombings of the Second World War and was rebuilt, inaugurated on 18th May 1958, based on a design by architect Ferdinando Reggiori. Famous for its acoustics, still considered among the best in Europe today, the hall hosts important concert seasons and demonstrates how the institution not only has an educational dimension but also plays an active role in the city’s musical life.

At the same time, as the name of the aforementioned hall suggests, the Conservatory has a historical connection with the life of the Maestro. In fact, the institute went down in history for not admitting the then young Giuseppe Verdi to its studies in June 1832. The commission considered him too old (he was 18, and 14 was the maximum age for admission) and also accused him of having incorrect hand posture technique. As if that were not enough, he was also considered a foreigner, as he came from the Duchy of Parma. In this regard, in a letter to Jacopo Caponi dated 13th October 1880, Verdi wrote the following words:

«It was not in 1833, but in June 1832 (I was not yet nineteen years old) that I submitted a written application to be admitted as a paying student at the Milan Conservatory. I also underwent ‘a kind’ of examination at the Conservatory, presenting some of my compositions and playing a piece on the piano in front of Basily, Piantanida, Angeleri and others, including the elderly Rolla, to whom I had been recommended by my teacher in Busseto, Ferdinando Provesi. About eight days later, I went to see Rolla, who said to me: ‘Don’t think about the Conservatory anymore: choose a teacher in the city: I recommend Lavigna or Negri. I heard nothing more about the Conservatory. No one replied to my application. No one, either before or after the exam, told me about the regulations. And I know nothing about Basily’s opinion reported by Fétis. That’s all!»

Despite his exclusion, the institute was named after him in January 1901, even though Verdi had expressed strong opposition to such a use of his name a few years before his death.