VOA标准英语2010年-Classic Moby Dick Story Retold with Mo

Opera combines traditional musical styles with 21st century video effects

Bill Zeeble | Dallas, Texas 08 June 2010
 

Crewmen on a whale hunt in the American opera based on Herman Melville's epic¹ tale, 'Moby Dick.'

"Moby Dick" is often called the great American novel, and a new American opera based on Herman Melville's epic tale is playing to rave² reviews in Dallas, Texas.

It tells the story of Captain Ahab and his quest for revenge against the great white whale that destroyed his ship and bit off his leg.

The dramatic allegory of good and evil — first published in 1851 — has all the ingredients of grand opera, which is why it appealed to composer Jake Heggie.

Soprano Talise Trevigne as 'Pip' treading water after being lost at sea in the only role for a woman's voice in the opera.

Special effects

"It's a tremendous adventure story. It's got real human drama," says Heggie. "It makes sense for people to sing rather than say these words, because the emotions are so huge. The conflicts are so large and so real."

When he was approached about writing a work for the Dallas Opera company, Heggie convinced the artistic³ director he could turn the epic novel into a navigable three-hour opera. And he did.

Like the novel, the opera "Moby Dick" starts quietly. Brooding music conjures⁴ a restless sea. On the dark backdrop on stage, video-projected stars shine against a stark⁵ night sky. Constellations⁶ morph into navigational routes, which become sailing charts, and then form a ship.

Award-winning special effects artist Elaine McCarthy, whose credits include the Broadway hits, "Spamalot" and "Wicked," as well as operas, tried to match her projection⁷ design to the story.

"It's a very poetic⁸ work and if we went in there and made it a ship on the stage with a horizon line and the sky and the water, it would have just killed it," she says. So the stage itself becomes the ship deck, with masts, harpoons⁹ and rigging.

Ben Heppner as Captain Ahab (left) encourages his crew to keep a sharp eye out for the white whale, Moby Dick.

A realistic portrayal¹⁰ of Captain Ahab

One of the more literal translations from the novel is Ahab's peg¹¹ leg.

Tenor¹² Ben Heppner bends his left leg back so the stage crew can tie it up. It's hidden under his long coat with the peg attached at his knee. Heppner says there was no getting away from what, for him, is this opera's biggest challenge.

"It hasn't threatened to cramp¹³, thank heavens," says Heppner. "But when I go out for that last entrance in Act 2, and then I know, from that moment on, I'm onstage until the end of the opera, I'm thinking, 'Oh boy, this is gonna be difficult.'"

On the other hand, Heppner says the music is anything but. A favorite scene occurs in Act 2, when Ahab almost gives up his chase for Moby Dick. Baritone Morgan Smith, as first mate Starbuck, sings the duet with Heppner. The tranquil¹⁴ scene follows a rough storm before the action again turns turbulent.

Smith sees the entire opera as a kind of storm, "characters spinning out of control, Ahab's descent into madness. .... Starbuck's descent into disorder¹⁵, into a world where everything is going against what he knows to be true and right."

Hitting the right notes

The opera tells the story using Herman Melville's words almost verbatim. The performers praise Heggie's ability to turn that language into music.

The composer says Moby Dick forced him to work in a new way. "The combination of the sweep and scope of Melville's language, the beauty of the story, the depth of characters all pushed me into a whole new realm of composing and thinking of what music is onstage."

Music critics like James C. Taylor, who writes for Opera Magazine, felt Heggie hit just the right notes with his interpretation¹⁶. "A lot of times American operas can feel cobbled together, the music is just sort of laid on top of an existing masterpiece. And with this, they integrated that nicely."

Taylor enjoyed the performance. "It's rare in any new opera for you to sort of lose sight of the fact that you're watching something new and get caught up in the action, and [with this work], you were able to follow it as musical drama, not just some new orchestral piece."

The Dallas opera co-commissioned Moby Dick with four other companies. The work travels to Australia next year, then moves on to Calgary, Canada, San Diego and San Francisco. Critic Taylor says he would not be surprised if additional companies pick up the opera in years to come, and add it to their repertoire¹⁷.

Many new operas disappear after their world premieres. But this one, he says, has legs — or at least one good leg and a very strong peg leg
 

1 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。

2 rave   

vi.胡言乱语；热衷谈论；n.热情赞扬

参考例句：

• The drunkard began to rave again.这酒鬼又开始胡言乱语了。
• Now I understand why readers rave about this book.我现明白读者为何对这本书赞不绝口了。

3 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

4 conjures   

用魔术变出( conjure的第三人称单数 )； 祈求，恳求； 变戏法； （变魔术般地） 使…出现

参考例句：

• The word 'birthday' conjures up images of presents and parties. “生日”这个词使人想起礼物和聚会的情景。
• The name Sahara conjures up images of a desert of aridity. "撒哈拉"这个名字使人想起干旱的沙漠情景。

5 stark   

adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地

参考例句：

• The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
• He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。

6 constellations   

n.星座( constellation的名词复数 )；一群杰出人物；一系列（相关的想法、事物）；一群（相关的人）

参考例句：

• The map of the heavens showed all the northern constellations. 这份天体图标明了北半部所有的星座。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His time was coming, he would move in the constellations of power. 他时来运转，要进入权力中心了。 来自教父部分

7 projection   

n.发射，计划，突出部分

参考例句：

• Projection takes place with a minimum of awareness or conscious control.投射在最少的知觉或意识控制下发生。
• The projection of increases in number of house-holds is correct.对户数增加的推算是正确的。

8 poetic   

adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的

参考例句：

• His poetic idiom is stamped with expressions describing group feeling and thought.他的诗中的措辞往往带有描写群体感情和思想的印记。
• His poetic novels have gone through three different historical stages.他的诗情小说创作经历了三个不同的历史阶段。

9 harpoons   

n.鱼镖，鱼叉( harpoon的名词复数 )v.鱼镖，鱼叉( harpoon的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Greenpeace hopes to position its boats between the harpoons and the whales. 绿色和平希望他们的船能开到港口与鲸鱼群之间的地方。 来自互联网
• NIV Can you fill his hide with harpoons or his head with fishing spears? 7[和合]你能用倒钩枪扎满它的皮，能用鱼叉叉满它的头吗？ 来自互联网

10 portrayal   

n.饰演；描画

参考例句：

• His novel is a vivid portrayal of life in a mining community.他的小说生动地描绘了矿区的生活。
• The portrayal of the characters in the novel is lifelike.该书中的人物写得有血有肉。

11 peg   

n.木栓，木钉；vt.用木钉钉，用短桩固定

参考例句：

• Hang your overcoat on the peg in the hall.把你的大衣挂在门厅的挂衣钩上。
• He hit the peg mightily on the top with a mallet.他用木槌猛敲木栓顶。

12 tenor   

n.男高音（歌手），次中音（乐器），要旨，大意

参考例句：

• The tenor of his speech was that war would come.他讲话的大意是战争将要发生。
• The four parts in singing are soprano,alto,tenor and bass.唱歌的四个声部是女高音、女低音、男高音和男低音。

13 cramp   

n.痉挛；[pl.](腹)绞痛；vt.限制，束缚

参考例句：

• Winston stopped writing,partly because he was suffering from cramp.温斯顿驻了笔，手指也写麻了。
• The swimmer was seized with a cramp and had to be helped out of the water.那个在游泳的人突然抽起筋来，让别人帮着上了岸。

14 tranquil   

adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的

参考例句：

• The boy disturbed the tranquil surface of the pond with a stick. 那男孩用棍子打破了平静的池面。
• The tranquil beauty of the village scenery is unique. 这乡村景色的宁静是绝无仅有的。

15 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

16 interpretation   

n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理

参考例句：

• His statement admits of one interpretation only.他的话只有一种解释。
• Analysis and interpretation is a very personal thing.分析与说明是个很主观的事情。

17 repertoire   

n.(准备好演出的)节目，保留剧目；(计算机的)指令表，指令系统， <美>(某个人的)全部技能；清单，指令表

参考例句：

• There is an extensive repertoire of music written for the flute.有很多供长笛演奏的曲目。
• He has added considerably to his piano repertoire.他的钢琴演奏曲目大大增加了。