09/14/13 – MOBY-DICK – 1:00pm

San Francisco Opera

MOBY-DICK by Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer

Recorded Fall 2012, War Memorial Opera House.

“Achingly beautiful, magnificently sung and gorgeously staged…the audience responded with an eight-minute standing ovation” (Associated Press). Composer Jake Heggie, in his “finest creation since Dead Man Walking,” and librettist Gene Scheer adapt Herman Melville’s meditation on man and the sea into “a vibrant, compelling piece of musical theater” (San Francisco Chronicle). Starring as the fierce, obsessive whaling-boat captain whose descent into madness puts his crew in mortal danger is Jay Hunter Morris, whose “fiery brilliance in his resplendent upper range captured both Ahab’s inner strength and demonic possession” (Kenneth Herman, sandiego.com). Mr. Morris recently also made headlines by taking over the title role of Wagner’s Siegfried both at San Francisco Opera and the Metropolitan Opera. Principal Guest Conductor Patrick Summers, praised by The New York Times for his “lyrical flow and suitably stormy climaxes,” conducts a cast of brilliant singing actors.

Sung in English with English supertitles
Approximate running time: 3 hours including one intermission

CAST/CREW

GREENHORN (ISHMAEL)    STEPHEN COSTELLO *
CAPTAIN AHAB    JAY HUNTER MORRIS
STARBUCK    MORGAN SMITH
QUEEQUEG    JONATHAN LEMALU *
PIP     TALISE TREVIGNE *
FLASK    MATTHEW O’NEILL
STUBB    ROBERT ORTH

COMPOSER    JAKE HEGGIE
LIBRETTIST    GENE SCHEER
CONDUCTOR    PATRICK SUMMERS
DIRECTOR    LEONARD FOGLIA
SET DESIGNER   ROBERT BRILL
COSTUME DESIGNER    JANE GREENWOOD
LIGHTING DESIGNER    DON HOLDER
LIGHTING DESIGNER    GAVAN SWIFT *
PROJECTION DESIGNER    ELAINE J. MCCARTHY *
CHORUS DIRECTOR    IAN ROBERTSON

* SAN FRANCISCO OPERA DEBUT

photo credits: Corey Weaver