Leonard Foglia's opera adaptation of Herman Melville's 'Moby-Dick' features significant modifications to the original text, with a 64-page libretto crafted by Gene Scheer. Retaining 40% to 50% of Melville's language, the opera sets the entire action aboard the ship Pequod, omitting the opening land-based chapters. The narrator is renamed Greenhorn, portraying his evolution throughout the story. Tenor Stephen Costello highlights Greenhorn’s character arc, underscoring the opera's focus on the protagonist's journey from naiveté to wisdom, culminating in the iconic line 'Call me Ishmael' at the opera's end.
In the novel, Ishmael is telling a story that happened many years ago. But in the theater, you want to see it happen in real time.
As the lone cast holdover from the Dallas premiere in 2010, tenor Stephen Costello sees his character, Greenhorn, as embodying the only real arc in the opera.
Collection
[
|
...
]