For years Herman Melville has inspired artists to create countless adaptions of his classic novel Moby Dick. And although we read Moby Dick a few weeks ago, I am still fascinated by the creative lengths artists will go to, to represent this novel. One of the most interesting adaptions I have found is an opera that uses music and script to transform the novel from page to stage.
Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer have been composing operas based on classic novels for years. In 2010, they decided to take on the challenge of composing an opera based on the classic novel Moby Dick. To be expected, many fans of the novel were skeptical as to whether they would be able to do the novel justice.
The opera Moby-Dick premiered on April 30, 2010 at the Dallas Opera House in Dallas, Texas. The show is broken up into two acts that depict Ahab’s journey to defeat the White Whale. And although some critical pieces of the novel were changed, such as Ishmael’s name to Greenhorn, it was a major hit with audiences.
(Website:http://www.operanews.com/Opera_News_Magazine/2010/8/Review/DALLAS__Moby_Dick.html)
Moby-Dick was presented by the Washington National Opera in February and March of this year and will be performed in Cincinnati at the Cincinnati Opera in 2016.
Here is a clip of some of the performances:
Thanks!
Erin
This is awesome. The video you included was amazing and dramatic. It does appear as if Moby-Dick had a thousand adaptations. This opera, however, this is unique. I wouldn’t mind seeing the whole thing and I probably will when I get the time. You should check out the John Huston film adaptation starring Gregory Peck. It is worth the watch. I hope that the opera comes back again so I can see it live!