In 1701 Peru, a Spanish libretto by the poet Calderón de la Barca and a score by Tomás de Torrejón y Velasco combined to create La Púrpura de la Rosa — the first opera ever staged in the Americas. Relic, the period-instrument chamber orchestra hailed as “stylish and innovative” (New York Classical Review), brings that story back to life in The Blood of the Rose, an instrumental adaptation of Calderón’s tale of Venus and Adonis.
Structured in five musical “chapters” and threaded with spoken excerpts from the original libretto, the program traces the arc of the myth: the couple’s blossoming romance, Mars’s jealous campaign to destroy it, and the lovers’ tragic end. The result is a seamless curation of Baroque repertoire spanning Europe and Latin America, weighted toward Spanish and Latin American composers and works inspired by the Venus and Adonis legend — among them Torrejón y Velasco, Roque Jacinto de Chavarría, Juan de Araujo, Handel, John Blow, and Alessandro Scarlatti.
It’s a signature example of Relic’s narrative-driven programming, the approach that has built the ensemble’s growing national reputation since its founding in 2022 — uniting historical insight with theatrical, emotionally direct storytelling for audiences new to early music and longtime devotees alike.
Venue: Instituto Cervantes of Chicago
31 W. Ohio Street, Chicago, IL 60654
Getting there: The venue sits between State and Dearborn Streets in River North, a few blocks from the CTA Red Line’s Grand station (State & Grand), with additional Red/Blue Line access at Chicago and Clark/Lake.
Parking: The garage directly aross the street offers $10 validated parking. Vehicle entrance on Ohio Street; paystation and pedestrian entry on Ontario Street.