Photo: Chris Lee
The Blood of the Rose
Relic
In 1701 Peru, Tomás de Torrejón y Velasco’s La Púrpura de la Rosa became the first opera ever performed in the Americas. The libretto, written by a renowned Spanish poet Pedro Calderón de la Barca, recounts the tragic love story of Venus and Adonis.
Relic’s newly-curated program, “The Blood of the Rose,” celebrates the rich tradition of Baroque music in 1700s Latin America through an instrumental adaptation of the Venus and Adonis myth. Punctuated by spoken excerpts from Calderón’s lush libretto, this dramatic concert depicts Venus and Adonis’s blossoming romance, Mars’s vicious attempts to destroy their love, and the couple’s ultimate tragic demise.
Music Before 1800 debut
“It’s rare when a concert moves outside the box, offering something you’ve never quite experienced previously.”
—Washington Classical Review
Violin
Aniela Eddy, Kako Boga, Natalie Kress, Rebecca Nelson, and Toma Iliev
Viola
Graham Cohen
Cello
Cullen O’Neil
Bass
Sue Yelanjian
Harpsichord and Organ
Robert Warner
Theorbo and Guitar
Daniel Swenburg
Bassoon and Recorder
Georgeanne Banker