Giorgio arrives and tells Mario that Pablo is giving an award in Russia. Di Cosimo's thugs arrive, passing out flyers. Word comes that Pablo is in Paris. In an interview Pablo states that he misses the island but not the people, causing some to get upset and feel forgotten. News comes that Di Cosimo has won the election. Soon he arrives, notifying Donna Rosa that all water work is being aborted, breaking his promise. Mario approaches Di Cosimo and is threatened. "Scene 6: Scene and Aria "Más bien era yo"" An impersonal letter arrives from Pablo's secretary asking Mario to send the man's remaining items to Chile. Hurt, Mario feels forgotten and sings "Más bien era yo" ("Rather it was me"). Beatrice tells Mario that she's pregnant. "Scene 7: "Comprendo"" Returning to Pablo's home, Mario finds the recording of him and Pablo. On the recording Pablo sings "Comprendo" ("I Understand"). "Scene 8: "Estás seguro?"" Mario retrieves the audio recorder. He and Giorgio connect the device to a battery and travel the island, collecting its sounds. "Scene 9:"Es Curioso"" Time passes and Pablo and Matilde return to the island. Looking for Mario, they find Beatrice where she explains that Mario was invited to read his poetry at a communist demonstration. The event turned violent and Mario was shot and killed. "Duet: "Querido Don Pablo" (Mario's Farewell)" Pablo is given a recording of Mario. In the recording Mario thanks Pablo for bringing poetry into his life. The critics writing on both the American and the Austrian premieres remarked on the "unapologetically" melodious nature of the score and noted that it was reminiscent of Puccini, both in the instrumental colors of the orchestral interludes and in the arias, singling out particularly the writing for the woodwinds and strings. In his review of the Austrian premiere George Loomis wrote that like Catán's previous operas, the score was marked by a "musical shapeliness" and a "capacity to soar and [...] move the listener." He also summarized the mixed critical reception in the German and Austrian press noting that the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" pronounced it "a triumph" but "Die Presse" described the opera's story as "smothered in operatic sugar-icing", with more than one review describing it as kitsch.