Making an opera out of something
that on the one hand is considered to be a great metaphysical novel and, on the other, is a massive book filled with specific detail about life on a 19th century deep sea whaler, must represent something of a challenge. It comes as no surprise that Jake Heggie took some five years over Moby Dick, initially working with playwright Terrence McNally and then, after he withdrew, with librettist Gene Scheer.The resulting work manages to suggest both aspects of the novel. It conveys the destructive quest of the obsessive Ahab for the white whale against the better interests and judgements of his crew (especially Starbuck) and its symbolic nature, and also hints at the nature of life on board the Pequod. Overall, Heggie and Scheer achieve this by concentrating on the delineation of a few key characters (compared to the 30 or so in the novel), and streamlining the narrative; there is for example only one instance of the ship pursuing a whale other than Moby Dick. It is a highly successful compression which embraces Melville’s themes within a clear narrative structure.
There is little place for a narrator in an opera; Melville’s famous opening line, “Call me Ishmael”, is missing, and the opera opens on board the ship. This character is known throughout as (the) Greenhorn, and only at the very end of the opera, as he floats, sole survivor, on Queequeg’s coffin, does he utter those words to his unseen rescuer, thus informing us of how the tale came to be told.
Excerpts from the book are chosen with care to illustrate its focus on the discourses which are central to it, such as the role of religion in the lives of men (sic), and the relationship of man to nature. In the opening scene, Ishmael/Greenhorn rants at Queequeg for praying to his god, affecting to despise all religion. Starbuck disparages Ahab’s quest for vengeance, declaring it madness to want revenge on a unreasoning animal, “to be enraged by a dumb thing”.
On first hearing, there is an almost perfect blend of words and music, but in a sense this leaves the music seeming somewhat unmemorable, almost like movie music. It is almost unfailingly melodic, with an appropriate use of bells, and much brass for stormy and climactic moments. There are hints of earlier works which may or may not be deliberate; the first, very robust chorus hints at the anvil chorus from Il Trovatore, and at other times one hears echoes of Strauss’s Elektra. There is certainly nothing you would come out humming, although maybe greater familiarity would rectify that.
The opera is a co-production between Dallas Opera, State Opera of South Australia, San Diego Opera, San Francisco Opera and Calgary Opera, appearing first in Dallas and now in Adelaide. The fine cast is international with an emphasis on Australian singers, but it must be said that the real star of the production is the production. This is modern technology used very intelligently, always to service the story. The opening scene is a scrim behind which points of light gradually appear and dart about, perhaps representing stars as they wheel and swell; lines of light begin to connect the points, and finally this resolves into the structure of a sailing ship (to applause from the audience) which solidifies into a solid setting of mast and riggings. Meanwhile light ethereal music sympathetically swells into a solid brass-led sound. Queequeg is discovered sitting at the front of the stage; the dark scrim rises, and white scrims descend and become the bottoms of the sails, and other sailors populate the ship’s deck.
The opera is structured in two Acts and an Epilogue. Act One, before an interval, comprises Day One (Scenes 1-4) and Day Two (Scenes 5-7) specified as taking place three months later. Act Two, after the interval, consists of Day Three (Scenes 1-3), one year later, and Day Four (Scenes 4-8) the next morning, after which comes the Epilogue, many days later.
The scenes at sea are quite brilliant. A very steeply raked stage provides perches for the men in the whale boats, which are projected around them in bright blue light over a turbulent darker blue sea effect. When they fall from the boats, they literally fall down the stage, into what appears to be foaming waves. After the successful chase, the processing of the whale takes place on a platform projected out from half way up this stage, behind which an opening frames a glowing red scene of a tripod with a chunk of flensed whale hanging behind it. On the platform the men are seen to deposit portions of whale blubber into the trypot. Another great vignette sees the sailors dancing to a version of the traditional sea shanty “Spanish Ladies”, their boisterous jollity degenerating into a fight.
The stunning effects are attributable to Projection Designer Elaine McCarthy originally, overseen in Adelaide by Shawn Boyle. The overall director is Leonard Foglia, with Robert Brill (Set Designer), Jane Greenwood (Costume Designer) and Donald Holder (Lighting Designer – Gavan Swift in Adelaide) contributing.
The soloists provided great singing and dramatic performances; as ever, SOSA has an excellent ear for casting. Ahab was sung with great ringing tone and suitable ferocity by American Heldentenor Jay Hunter Morris, his entrance heralded by the thud of his wooden leg. Adelaide-born Grant Doyle as Starbuck has a finely controlled baritone, used here to great effect as the rational but devout mate. His soliloquy was touchingly sung but perhaps a shade too long. His duet with Ahab on the other hand provides a lovely lyrical interlude on Day Four, as he almost persuades the demented captain to see the error of his ways. The role of Greenhorn/Ishmael is necessarily limited without his narrative function, but was well sung by young tenor James Egglestone. How fortunate to have available a Polynesian singer to portray Queequeg! Bass-baritone Jonathan Lemalu is of Samoan descent and well-known on the international stage; here he is almost unrecognizable, covered in tattoos, and anchoring the role firmly with his resonant voice. The sole female voice in the work is the young cabin boy, Pip, sung by Lorina Gore (last seen in very different persona in Bliss), providing a strong, clear and accurate soprano. A pity her tambourine was not in better visual sync with the one actually rattled in the pit. The rest of the cast provided strong support, as did the State Opera Gentlemen’s Chorus. Both chorus and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra were well-directed by Timothy Sexton, who is also Artistic Director of the State Opera of South Australia. All power to him for such a successful, electrifying and gratifying night at the opera.
Sandra Bowdler
Opera Britannia
Link to original review here
