Moby-Dick

Moby-Dick, a new opera by Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer, enjoyed a triumphant premier last Friday at the Dallas Opera. The show boasts a strong cast: Ben Heppner as Captain Ahab, Stephen Costello as Greenhorn (Ishmael), Morgan Smith as Starbuck, Robert Orth as Mister Stubb, and Talise Travigne as Pip the cabin boy.

Anne Midgette offers a detailed review of the premiere in her Washington Post blog The Classical Beat. The staging challenges surrounding a sea story with a giant whale were met with skill and aplomb, she reports, as Melville's prose was likewise well handled for sung texts.

Other reviews of the new opera include these:

Wes Blomster, Opera Today
Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News
Brian Holt, Out West Arts
Gregory Isaacs, Theater Jones
Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle
William Littler, Toronto Star
George Loomis Classical Review
Steve Smith, New York Times
Heidi Waleson, Wall Street Journal

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Conductor's Notebook