Opera For Everyone – Ep. 140: Moby-Dick by Heggie
March 9, 2026
Host: Pat Wright
Guest: Candace Kelsey

Overview

In this enthralling episode, host Pat Wright welcomes educator, poet, and self-proclaimed “Moby-Dick expert and instigator” Candace Kelsey for a deep dive into Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s 2010 opera Moby-Dick, based on Herman Melville’s iconic novel. The discussion masterfully balances exploration of Melville’s text, the creation and significance of the opera, major themes and characters, historical and cultural context, and the unique transformation of a sprawling American epic into a focused, emotional stage experience. Through insightful conversation, selected musical excerpts, and literary analysis, Pat and Candace make both the opera and novel accessible and vivid for listeners of all levels.

Introduction and Guest Origins

[01:34]

• Pat introduces Candace, an educator and poet who became a guest after persistent, passionate outreach about her love for both the opera and Melville’s novel.
• Candace shares her background as a champion of Moby-Dick—an educator who’s taught it for 23 years, reader at Moby-Dick marathons, and writer about its importance in her life ([04:05]).
• The hosts agree the novel’s infamy often precedes it, with Pat confessing not to have finished it herself, reflecting what many feel: “I, to this date, have not fully read Moby Dick. That's a big confession.” (Pat, [05:55])

Why Read Moby-Dick? – The Novel’s Context & Legacy

[06:24]

• Candace: “I call it a philosophical fever dream…” – Not simply an adventure, but an exploration of human nature, history, and even humor.
• Discussion of Melville’s intellect, research methods, and the novel’s famed mix of philosophy, encyclopedic whaling detail, and dark humor.
• Melville’s personal struggles after its publication—critical and financial disappointment, followed by resurgence in the 20th century.

Notable Quote:
“It’s not just adventure. It's also just this total exploration of all things human nature. But it's also surprisingly funny.” — Candace, [06:24]

Melville’s Experience and Themes in the Novel

[15:07]

• Melville’s history as a sailor, exposure to whaling, his desertion in the South Pacific, even time jailed after mutiny, all contributed to his worldview in Moby-Dick.
• The role of New Bedford and Nantucket in whaling, and the importance of whale oil for the global economy of the 19th century ([18:28]).
• Historical context: the Fugitive Slave Act and how whaling ships became places of sanctuary and diversity.

Notable Quote:
“Many of the African American whalers were escaped slaves. Because what better place to be than thousands of miles away on a ship where no slave catchers could find you?” — Candace, [18:12]

From Epic Novel to Modern Opera

[19:58]

• The challenge of distilling Melville’s 500–700 page opus into a two-act opera.
• Key changes: The opera drops Ishmael’s (“Greenhorn’s”) land adventures; the narrative starts at sea and maintains its intensity throughout.
• The libretto uses condensation and clever merging of characters and scenes (e.g., the opera’s “Greenhorn” is only named Ishmael at the very end).

Notable Quote:
“One of the things they do is they dispense with the stuff at the beginning of the novel... he’s called Greenhorn in the opera... that's just like saying rookie, newbie.” — Pat, [20:54]

Act I: Characters and Relationships

Opening & Major Players [21:06-24:11]

• Queequeg and Greenhorn:
  First scene: Queequeg (singing a Samoan prayer) and Greenhorn (unfamiliar and annoyed at first, but quickly forming a heartfelt friendship) ([21:06-23:07]).

Memorable Moment:
“If that's our modern day example of breaking bread with somebody, he's so hospitable.” — Candace, [22:55]

• The Crew and Hierarchy:
  Early introduction of the ship's structure—Ahab the storied captain (not seen for a week), Starbuck (the Quaker moral compass), and assorted mates ([24:06-26:02]).

Captain Ahab’s Entrance & Obsession [28:47+]

• Ahab finally appears, exuding charisma and rallying the men.
• First reveals his obsession with hunting Moby Dick, the whale that took his leg.
• Uses the doubloon (coin nailed to the mast) to incentivize the crew’s loyalty.

Memorable Quote:
“Mr. Starbuck, art thou not game for Moby Dick in front of the entire crew?” — Candace quoting Ahab, [32:16]

• Starbuck objects: vengeance on a dumb brute, not the purpose of a whaling voyage ([35:47]).

Themes of Hierarchy, Obsession, and Duty

Whale Hunt Economics & Doubloon Symbolism [26:23-35:05]

• The commercial importance of whale oil for the world, profit-sharing among crew, and the moral conflict when Ahab steers the mission away from profit towards personal vengeance.
• The doubloon as a symbol of individual desire: each major character sees something different in its meaning.

Notable Quote:
“Pip... when he looks at the doubloon, he says, I see. You see, we see, they see, Pip sees. And what that means is Pip is aware that everybody sees their own desire, their own greed in that doubloon.” — Candace, [34:02]

Highlight: Ahab’s Soliloquy [43:48+]

• This Melville-penned reflection becomes the musical and emotional pivot of the opera.
• Composer Heggie reportedly scrapped six months of work upon encountering these lines, then wrote the rest in four months—“it was almost supernatural” ([43:48]).

Read by Candace:
“I leave a white and turbid wake. Pale waters, paler cheeks. Wherever I sail, the envious billows... All loveliness is anguish to me...”
[44:32]

Relationships, Tension, and Tragedy

Starbuck's Moral Dilemma & Pip's Ordeal [49:54, 56:04]

• Starbuck is caught between duty and morality, feeling powerless to resist Ahab ([49:54]).
• The crew tries to stay occupied—dancing and whale steak dreams—while racial tensions and shipboard hierarchy flare.
• Pip, the young cabin boy (a trousers role for a soprano), is cast out of the whaleboat during a chase and left adrift—a harrowing and haunting sequence ([56:04-57:23]).

Memorable Moment (Pip lost at sea):
“Anyone who's ever been in a large body of water floating can relate to what's happening here... and then the enormity of the ocean, this concept of being abandoned.” — Candace, [57:00]

The Factory Ship and Lostness [67:02-70:51]

• Vivid rendering of the grisly but essential process of turning a whale into oil—described by Pat and Candace as Melville’s “fiery inferno out in the middle of the ocean” ([67:30]).
• Choral highlight: “Lost in the Heart of the Sea,” echoing the men’s sense of peril and isolation ([69:07-70:51]).

Act I Finale: Conscience and Crisis

Ahab’s Power and Starbuck’s Choice [71:29–76:06]

• The iconic showdown: Ahab, wielding a musket, forces Starbuck to his knees in a confrontation brimming with religious and Shakespearean overtones ([72:18]).
• Starbuck faces his own temptation: whether to kill Ahab in his sleep and save the crew, asking “is it murder to strike a would-be murderer in his bed?” but cannot do it ([75:32-75:55]).

Act II: Storms, Friendship, and Fate

Storm and Intimacy [76:27-79:08]

• Opens one year later—crew weary, weather dire.
• Queequeg and Greenhorn share a profound moment of kindness, kinship, and identity. Queequeg: “Friend, everyone has a name.” ([77:15])

Queequeg’s Illness and the Coffin [79:15–83:47]

• Queequeg falls strangely ill in the masthead; demands a coffin be made for him—echoing themes of mortality and resurrection ([81:32, 83:13]).
• The coffin is later repurposed as a lifebuoy, becoming a literal and metaphorical vehicle for salvation.

The Rachel, Gardner, and Final Refusal [84:59–88:28]

• Captain Gardner of the Rachel pleads with Ahab to help him find his lost 12-year-old son, another echo of Pip’s own ordeal—but Ahab, now “madness maddened”, coldly refuses ([85:10–86:55]).

Notable Analysis:
“Here is the moment for Ahab when he denies helping a fellow captain look for his 12-year-old son ... it’s monstrous.”
— Candace, [86:55]

Climax: The Final Chase

Forging the Devil’s Spear [88:28+]

• Ahab, fully in the grasp of monomania, forges his own harpoon, baptizes it in the name of the devil using Pip’s blood ([88:28-89:09]).

The Symphony Scene [92:44–95:45]

• “Symphony” duet between Ahab and Starbuck—brief, poignant connection as fathers and men longing for home (“Let me look into a human eye”), quickly shattered by the return of obsession ([93:56, 94:32]).

Notable Quote:
“He knows he cannot save himself from his vengeance. But he wants to show some compassion to Starbuck. Which I think is an interesting legacy for Ahab to leave behind.”
— Candace, [95:18]

Moby Dick Sighted and the Grand Finale [99:16–111:12]

• Ahab spots Moby Dick and claims the doubloon; tension, anticipation, and dread fill the scene.
• In the opera’s adaptation, Starbuck is ordered to remain on the ship (in the novel, he joins the boats).
• The catastrophic chase unfolds: Ahab’s boat is destroyed, the line twists around his neck—he is literally lashed to the object of his obsession and dragged under ([110:15]).
• The Pequod itself is sunk; all are lost except Greenhorn, who survives atop Queequeg’s coffin-turned-lifebuoy.

Epilogue and Resolution

“Call Me Ishmael” [111:36–113:02]

• As Gardner’s Rachel finds the survivor, Greenhorn is asked his name. He finally claims, “Call me Ishmael”—bringing the story to an iconic, haunting close.

Notable Reaction:
“I just got shivers when you said that, and I knew it was coming... it's absolutely genius that Heggie and Scheer had the Call me Ishmael come at the end because then that allows Ishmael to tell the story.” — Pat, [112:41]

• Scene closes with a sense of human kindness, hope, and the redemptive possibility of storytelling and connection after tragedy ([113:02–113:40]).

Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• On the Heart of Moby-Dick ([06:24]):
  “I call it a philosophical fever dream... it's also surprisingly funny.” — Candace

• On Melville’s Knowledge ([07:56]):
  “...an encyclopedic mind... this man knew everything...” — Candace

• On Ahab’s Magnetic Leadership ([31:17]):
  “Some sort of magical, almost satanic, enchanting mist comes out in his breath and... all of the sailors inhale it, and they are then beholden to his mission. All but one.” — Candace

• On the Doubloon as Symbol ([34:02]):
  “Pip... when he looks at the doubloon, he says, ‘I see. You see. We see. They see. Pip sees...’ [He] is aware that everybody sees their own desire, their own greed in that doubloon.” — Candace

• On Ahab’s Humanity ([93:56]):
  “Let me look into a human eye.” — Ahab, as discussed by the hosts

• On the Final Line ([112:41]):
  “Call me Ishmael.” — Greenhorn (final scene)

Standout Musical Excerpts

• Queequeg’s Samoan Prayer (Opening, [21:06])
• Ahab’s Soliloquy (“I Leave a White and Turbid Wake”, [44:32])
• Choral “Lost in the Heart of the Sea” ([70:03], [90:58])
• Duet of Ahab and Starbuck (“Symphony”, [93:56])

Key Takeaways

• Transformation:
  Heggie & Scheer’s opera succeeds in transforming a vast, cerebral American novel into a nuanced, emotional, and dramatically taut operatic work.
• Universal Themes:
  The opera explores obsession, friendship across difference, duty versus conscience, the seductive nature of charisma/leadership, and the possibility of redemption.
• Accessibility:
  Even those unfamiliar with opera or Moby-Dick will find hooks—character, history, culture, and music—through the warmth and humor of hosts and the clarity of their explanations.
• Enduring Relevance:
  Connections are drawn throughout to American history (slavery, race, migration), current energy/political issues, and universal human nature.

Overall Tone & Experience

• Inviting and Enthusiastic: The spirit is friendly, educational, and at times delightfully geeky in literary and operatic enthusiasm.
• Candid and Reflective: The hosts share personal confessions (“I, to this date, have not fully read Moby Dick”—Pat), laughter, and humility.
• Richly Informed: Deep dives into Melville studies, musicology, philosophy, and stagecraft.

Listen for

• Sparkling banter (“forgive the pun, deep dive”—Pat, [14:50])
• Interleaved musical excerpts that bring analysis to life
• The “Opera Helmet Quiz” as an on-air recap of Act I ([62:18])
• Many parallels drawn between opera and literature, old and new, land and sea

In Summary

Pat Wright and Candace Kelsey, blending literary expertise, personal passion, and the infectious joys of community radio, provide a detailed, empathetic, and thoroughly engaging guide to Jake Heggie’s Moby-Dick opera—a modern American masterpiece, and a window onto the timeless obsessions, doubts, and possibilities that Melville first charted on the open sea.

For further information on the opera and guest Candace Kelsey, visit CandiceMKelseyPoet.com.