DALLAS — Welcome to the dark and thrilling world of "Moby-Dick" the opera, currently having its world premiere at the Winspear Opera House in Dallas.
It's an impressive, three-hour, near-perfect version of Herman Melville's dense novel about an obsessed captain, a whale, and the crew forced to hunt him down.
Captain Ahab is sung with maniacal heartache by tenor Ben Heppner, a physically exhausting role complete with peg leg. What keeps him near the edge of reason is Starbuck, played brilliantly by baritone Morgan Smith.
"Moby-Dick" is a male-dominated opera that sounds like a cross between Puccini, Sondheim, and a John Williams film score.
The only female in the cast plays "Pip."
Jake Heggie's score and Gene Scheer's libretto work wonders on the ears and the eyes — this is both high seas drama and personal tragedy.
The set design and lighting are simply stunning, and include a projection system that literally creates waves or draws the outline of the whaling vessel in detail.
"Moby-Dick" is breathtaking to watch, and only disappoints for a brief moment near the end when the whale appears.
On the world stage, this is a massive artistic accomplishment.
E-mail gcogill@wfaa.com
