Moby-Dick

Jake Heggie's operatic adaptation of Herman Melville's epic novel transforms the obsessive hunt for the white whale into a profound meditation on ambition, mortality, and the limits of human will. Captain Ahab commands the Pequod across vast oceans in pursuit of Moby Dick, the legendary whale that severed his leg years before. As the ship's crew—from the noble first mate Starbuck to the contemplative harpooner Ishmael—witnesses their captain's descent into monomaniacal rage, they grapple with questions of fate, duty, and survival. The opera captures the novel's philosophical depth while exploring themes of obsession and the destructive power of vengeance. Heggie's score balances lyrical beauty with dramatic intensity, creating a work that honors Melville's literary masterpiece while establishing itself as a major addition to the operatic canon.