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Dear One, an art song, contains excerpts of love letters written between Anton Chekhov and Olga Knipper. This is the only piece on the CD that uses electronic sounds. The song is sung by tenor Tony Alioto. The playwright Rogelio Martinez created the lyrics from source materials found in "Dear Writer, Dear Actress, The Love Letters of Anton Chekhov and Olga Knipper." The first lines are of Anton writing to Olga, lamenting their separation. He was ill, residing in Alta for his health, while she continued her acting career in Moscow. Olga's lines are written to Anton after his death. The rhythmic technique that is used in this piece (a steady pulse of five beats in the electronic accompaniment while the vocal line remains consistently in four) is found in some Native American folk music. Two examples of this are Mata No-otz, as sung by Mowihuiz (Magpie) leader of the mescal religion among the Southern Cheyennes, and Dance Song, sung by Lavender of the Mojave-Apaches. |