Heggie and Scheer’s Moby-Dick, San Francisco Opera

Given the fabulous reviews that composer Jake Heggie’s and librettist Gene Scheer’s latest opera has received in Dallas and San Diego, why wouldn’t you want to see the SFO premiere of this heralded work by our local-boy-made-good? Ben Heppner, who originated the role of Captain Ahab, sings in the first five performances, before ceding the final two to our triumphant Siegfried of the Ring Cycle, Jay Hunter Morris. Add in three SFO debuts, by Stephen Costello, Jonathan Lemalu, and Talise Trevigne, plus the return of two SFO favorites, conductor Patrick Summers and director Leonard Foglia, all of whom triumphed in the Dallas premiere, and this is a great catch.