Your John Keats 

by Debra Lynn (b. 1963)

  1. Brighter than Bright
  2. Ah, Herté Mine
  3. Credo
  4. Pleasures
  5. Impossibilities
  6. A Frog in a Frost
  7. My Expected heaven
  8. Immortality
  9. From Italy

Daniel Belcher, baritone

Alexander Klepach, piano

 

Program Notes (by Debra Lynn):

This nine-movement song cycle for baritone with piano contains settings of letter excerpts from English Romantic poet John Keats to Fanny Brawne (his fiancée) throughout their two-year relationship, during which Keats became ill with tuberculosis and was sent to Rome (for the warmer climate) where he died.

  1. “Brighter than Bright” conveys the apprehensive passion of new love. I found the prolific wordsmith’s search for adjectives to describe Fanny quite beguiling.
  2. “Ah Herté Mine” explores the mysterious fragility of “deep” love. Triplets against duplets and frequent modal shifts depict the poet’s attempt to find his footing in this new territory. Keats had relationships with other women previously, but his affection for Fanny impacted him quite differently.
  3. “Credo” is a Passacaglia (a slow tune written over a repeating bass figure). Bell tones reminiscent of the Westminster chimes in London are incorporated throughout the piano part. The vocal line is intended to resemble the piety of Gregorian chant.
  4. This ABA-form movement entitled “Pleasures,” begins and ends with a lilting expression of utter joy and delight. The B-section is a love duet between the piano and voice, built on a 16th-note ostinato (heard in the inner voices of the piano) representing Keats’ passionate heartbeat. A variation on this same ostinato returns in the final movements as Keats’ vital organs strive to continue functioning.
  5. This turbulent movement entitled “Impossibilities” describes the symptoms Keats experienced when first falling ill. The piano part represents the blood flow to his lungs, functioning as an undertow against the melody (derived from the third movement: Keats’ Credo of Love). The end of this movement is the true turning point in the larger song cycle, as Keats understands and calmly accepts his fate.
  6. “A Frog in a Frost” includes leapfrog gestures in the piano, which are echoed in the voice. It has a charming presentation, but the undercurrent reflects Keats’ physically weakened state after becoming ill.
  7. Much of the melodic material in “My Expected Heaven” is borrowed from the mating call of a male Robin. The vertical piano chords on each beat represent bars on a birdcage (the illness holding Keats captive, and separating him from Fanny).
  8. “Immortality” expresses Keats’ fury and frustration with the inability to will himself toward better health, and the possibility of a long happy life with Fanny. This dramatic setting in minor mode clearly foreshadows Keats’ demise.
  9. “From Italy” – The artist Joseph Severn cared for Keats during the poet’s final days, and described scenes in which Keats would fall asleep and then, upon awakening, weep bitterly with the realization that he was still alive. That idea was very present in my mind as I composed this final movement. It opens and closes with a low descending piano figure, a ritornello of sorts representing Keats’ body shutting down. The 16th-note “pulsing” ostinato from the fourth movement returns, indicating the insistent continuation of Keats’ vital organs despite his desire to die.

 

Daniel Belcher, baritone

GRAMMY® Award-winning baritone Daniel Belcher has performed in many of the world’s music capitals, including Paris, London, New York, San Francisco, Berlin, Stuttgart, Amsterdam, Geneva, Madrid, Toronto, Montreal, Tokyo, Seoul and Houston. With a repertoire of more than 80 roles, Belcher has championed roles from the Baroque to those composed expressly for him. He came to international attention in 2004 creating the role of Prior Walter in Peter Eötvös’ Angels in America for the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris for which he was hailed by London’s The Guardian as “possessing the kind of powerhouse stuff that indicates a star in the making.”

​Belcher recently created the roles of Inspector Kildare in Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell’s Elizabeth Cree at Opera Philadelphia, James Addison III in Ricky Ian Gordon and Royce Vavrek’s The House Without a Christmas Tree at Houston Grand Opera (recorded for a September 2018 release on the Pentatone label), Lord Bellingham in Lori Laitman’s The Scarlet Letter at Opera Colorado (released on the Naxos label), Brian Castner in Jeremy Howard Beck’s The Long Walk with Opera Saratoga, and Robert Kennedy in Robin de Raaff’s Waiting for Miss Monroe for his debut at The Netherlands Opera and Holland Festival. Other world premiere roles include John Brooke in Mark Adamo’s Little Women (released on the Ondine label and recorded by PBS’ Great Performances), Andy Warhol in Michael Daugherty’s Jackie O (released by Decca on the Argo label), and multiple roles in Tod Machover’s Resurrection (released on the Ondine label), all with Houston Grand Opera.

​In addition to his active performing career, Belcher is a sought-after voice teacher, administrator and clinician. During his time as the Director of the Artist Diploma at William Jewell College, he developed a program designed to bridge the gap between academia and the professional performing career. His students from William Jewell have recently won numerous prizes in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition and performed with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Central City Opera, Opera Saratoga, Opera Maine and others. 

Mr. Belcher recently joined the voice faculty at Moores School of Music, University of Houston and serves as the voice teacher for the Resident Artist Program at Opera Colorado. In the past, he has served on the faculties of the Florida State University, Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, IVAI – Tel Aviv, William Jewell, and Creative Dialogue at the Sibelius Akademie in Helsinki. His students have performed at Glimmerglass Opera, Minnesota Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, and more. He has led master classes at USC, University of Utah, Manchester University, University of Wisconsin, and among others, as well as with the young artist programs of Portland Opera, Utah Opera, Madison Opera, Chautauqua Opera and others.

​This season finds Mr. Belcher on the stages of Houston Grand Opera, Pensacola Opera and Utah Opera. In addition, he will be judging the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition District auditions. 

 

Alexander Klepach, piano

Alexander Klepach, Principal Pianist of The Ft. Wayne Philharmonic, began his musical studies at age 5 in his hometown of Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine.

He gave his first public recital at age 8 and made his first appearance with a symphony orchestra at age 12. He was educated at the Special Music School in Kiev and graduated from the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory in 1986 with a Doctorate of Music in Piano Performance. Strongly opposed to the communist regime, Klepach wasn’t allowed to perform abroad and was forcefully recruited into the Soviet Red Army. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1992, Klepach performed with the National Philharmonic of Moldova, the Symphony Orchestra of Europe in Madrid, and The National Chamber Orchestra of Russia as a piano and harpsichord soloist. He has concertized throughout Europe, Asia and the United States and has performed as recitalist with his wife, Olga Yurkova. He came to the United States in 1998 and has been with The Phil for 12 years.

 

Debra Lynn, composer

Dr. Debra J. Lynn, Artistic Director of Opera Today! has 30 years experience in academia as a voice and conducting pedagogue, opera director, and ensemble conductor. She has conducted at various locations throughout the world including Sacred Heart Basilica at Notre Dame University, Walt Disney World, the Vatican in Rome, the basilicas of San Marco in Venice and Saint Frances of Assisi in Italy, appearances in London and Austria, and multiple performances at Carnegie Hall in New York. Debra holds a Doctor of Arts in Music degree with an emphasis in conducting and voice performance from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Prior degrees from Truman State University and William Jewell College include emphases in conducting, voice performance, and music education. She has worked with Metropolitan Opera legends Nicholas DiVirgilio and Mignon Dunn as well as Kathleen Smith Belcher from the MET’s current roster of stage directors. Dr. Lynn has studied conducting under the tutelage of maestros Paul Vermel, Douglas Amman, Fred Stoltzfus, Paul Crabb, and Arnold Epley. As a composer, Dr. Lynn writes both instrumental and vocal music, and has received several commissions including Lily and Plowshares Foundation requests. She particularly enjoys collaborative projects and has most recently worked with Nathan Granner (tenor), Jamie Chamberlin (soprano), Daniel Belcher (Grammy-winning, baritone), Farrell Vernon (saxophone), and Elizabeth Mikautadze (choreographer) as well as composers Olav Luksengård Mjelva, Elyzabeth Meade, Jon Silpayamanant, Dominique Le Gendre and Stewart Copeland (founder and drummer of The Police). Debra is married to cellist, Robert Lynn. They reside in North Manchester, Indiana where they raised four offspring and are currently owned by four cats.