A Letter

For Voice and Piano | 2’ | 2020

Program Notes: Pablo Neruda was a real-life Chilean poet-diplomat whom is a central character in Daniel Catán’s Opera Il Postino. Neruda was also a politician later involved with the communist party. He was very much in love with his country, and with the people of Chile. This theme song reflects a longing to return to ones’ homeland. As someone who is Chilean born in the US, I grew up with family who wished to return home, as a regular conversation. As someone who is also Jewish, the culture is one of similar (a return to Israel). It can be really easy to feel as if you are alone in a country that doesn’t feel like home. In a country where the culture and customs are different from your own. Even if you left a place that was dangerous, you still have a nostalgic relationship with this place. This song reflects how I imagine Neruda felt while in exile in Italy. It expresses a letter home (which is fitting since the opera is about a mailman). The opening words come from the Chilean National Anthem, and the English words were written by myself. The Spanish in the B section was inspired by language from Catán’s Opera, to explore comparing living on an island in Italy to the beautiful scenery of Chile which is home to Mountains, Deserts, Oceans, Rivers, and many different climates.

Commissioner: Chicago Opera Theater

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