The story of the World Premiere for “La Azucena de Quito” in Guayaquil, Ecuador, contains some interesting turns. On May 28, 2019 I received a mail from composer Samir El Ghoul. It was addressed to both Mrs  Cecilia Rodrigo (the daughter of the great composer Joaquin Rodrigo ) and myself.  I received a following  email on June 18, in which Mrs Rodrigo explained the unprecedented situation of having an oratorio composed by her father, not yet premiered, nearing the 20th anniversary of his death on July 6, 1999.

I have about 25 mails in that initial exchange, dated in those months of wonderful work. There were copies received with the composer’s autograph of a non finished score, a good amount of articles on his production, and some mysterious piece that was in its beginnings: after his passing, they completed a score with a celesta, an oboe, an English horn and a singing line.

The demonstrable evidence was in his known and thoroughly analyzed language: a manuscript with a singing line plus two instruments in counterpoint plus an introductory motif by the celesta was simply crying for a real completion. Thus, while revising all open ends in the orchestral score, I tried to imagine what would have happened, if he had some more time.

Nothing is more difficult than guessing how a composer would have finished a piece, if clues are reduced to three lines of music without a chordal infrastructure. I had not much time to guess so I started by defining a tonality – a reluctant G minor juggling with a Dorian G – then I proceeded with harmonies organized around chords with 5 components. I chose a string orchestra as base, did not add woodwinds – eluding the peril of overweighting the two lines by the reeds.

I decided to leave intact all lines from the original manuscript – but later changed one single note. The pivot harmonies were somewhat disclosed by the interaction between the sining melody and the two instruments. At times the melodic design was so clear as to not leaving me room for a single doubt. The result received a thunderous applause.

The piece titled “Despedida de Azucena” was played as  the last movement of the Oratorio.

Here is the text in its original Spanish:

Mejor sería ahora mismo

Marchar, y no volver más.

¿Por qué repetir después

el dolor que esto me da ?

El subir las escaleras

¿para qué me sirve ya ?

Ahora me desgarraría

pasar de nuevo por el umbral,

Si estos peldaños subiera…

los tendría que besar.

Decir adiós a las piedras,

por postrera vez mirar

el cielo por mi ventana ;

Ver a los niños que están

por última vez jugando,

y en el borde de su edad,

de grandes, abandonarles,

sin saber cómo será.

no debo mirar atrás ;

no he de pagar el tributo

del corazón que se va.

Si ahora empiezo a despedirme

de mis años, ya jamás

acabaré; todos, adiós,

tiempo  sin tocar ;

que un dulce olvido os sepulte,

dejadme con Dios, en uno por uno

mis días merodearán ;

balando como corderos

por la caricia final.

Adiós, mi casa ; adiós, mi paz

The world premiere of “La Azucena de Quito” Oratorio by Joaquín Rodrigo” took place on July 5th, 2019. 7:00 PM at the Civic Center, Guayaquil. Soloists: Tatiana Gorriti (soprano), Catalina Morocho (Mezzosoprano), Estefany Rodríguez (Mezzosoprano) Joan Marquez (Tenor) Daniel Mosquera (Barítono) Choirs: Coro Polifónico de la Universidad de Cuenca (Priscila Argilés, Music Director), Coro de Pichincha (Alejandro Izurieta, Music Director) with the Symphonic Orchestra of Guayaquil, Dante Santiago Anzolini Artistic and Music Director.