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Spanish Premiere of Joaquín Rodrigo's Unfinished Oratorio, La Azucena de Quito

Apr. 25, 2025

On April 27, Joaquín Rodrigo's unfinished oratorio, La Azucena de Quito ("The Lily of Quito") was heard for the first time in Spain at the Auditorio Miguel Delibes in Valladolid, Spain. Under the baton of Ernesto Monsalve, a total of 300 performers joined forces to bring the work to life, including several choirs from Madrid and Castile and León, the Valladolid Youth Symphony Orchestra, and notable soloists. The concert will be repeated on May 4 in Madrid.

Composed in 1960, La Azucena de Quito is the only oratorio Joaquín Rodrigo began in his lifetime, and it remained unfinished. However, the existing 25-minute fragment (with a libretto by the Extremaduran philosopher, José María Valverde) is moving and makes a compelling case for future performances of the work, as well as a deeper exploration and performances of Rodrigo's entire oeuvre which contains an abundance of works spanning various genres, from solo and small ensemble pieces to symphonic works, and opera. The protagonist of the La Azucena de Quito is Saint Mariana of Jesus, the patron saint of Quito, Ecuador, who was canonized by Pius XII in the 1950s. Saint Mariana of Jesus was believed to be a guitarist and venerated as a patron saint of the guitar. This fact caught the attention of Rodrigo, given the great success of his beloved and timeless Concierto de Aranjuez, which was performed on this concert with guitarist José María Gallardo alongside the oratorio.

The Spanish premiere of La Azucena de Quito served to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Rodrigo's death in 1999. The remainder of the program consisted of two intriguing works by Antonio Salieri (who died 200 years ago), including the oratorio, Jesús en el Limbo (1803) and the cantata Le Jugement Dernier (El Juicio Final) (1788).


Trailer – Extraordinario Estreno Joaquín Rodrigo / Antonio Salieri

In July, 2019, the Symphony Orchestra of Guayaquil (Ecuador), under the baton of Dante Santiago Anzolini, gave the world premiere of Rodrigo's La Azucena de Quito. Maestro Anzolini noted, "The world premiere was a great success, applauded by an audience of 1,250 people. The work has sublime moments, gorgeous instrumentation and astonishing quality. It's a real pity that it was never finished. It would have been an extraordinary opera." The aria, "Despedida de Azucena", was premiered in 1962 by the soprano Isabel Penagos.

To learn more about Joaquín Rodrigo, visit joaquin-rodrigo.com and schott-music.com. 

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