Call Me Ishmael

Call Me Ishmael is an English-language opera in two acts written for soloists, chorus and an orchestra of 30 players. Its diverse musical styles and revolutionary approach to the operatic stage mark it as a truly unique show. Director Nicholas Heath has worked closely with composer Gary Goldschneider to develop the stage vision necessary for the presentation of such a colossal work. Produced by Sunshower Productions, Call Me Ishmael will receive its world premiere at the Amsterdam City Theatre (Stadsschouwburg) on May 30. 2004.

Featuring singers Benjamin Bevan as Ahab, Sebastian Brouwer as Ishmael, Elliot Goldie as Starbuck, and Maureen Brathwaite as Pip, an outstanding cast has been assembled by Nicholas Heath for this production. Conrad van Alphen will conduct his Rotterdam Chamber Orchestra, which will number 30 players as required by Goldschneider’s exciting score. Not only the standard orchestral combinations of strings, brass and woodwinds are called upon, but also synthesizer, electric guitar, percussion, piano and harp, creating a highly versatile ensemble which is needed to render symphonic, operatic, musical, blues, minimal, gospel and rock oriented music.

Opposed to the static and non-dramatic format of many operas, Call Me Ishmael is a truly dynamic stage show, one which brings forth the underlying drama and symbolism of Melville’s titanic work. To that end, traditional static sets will not be used. Nicholas Heath’s unique stage design employs video projection on moveable sails, which along with the use of ropes and simple props will use the elements earth, air, fire and water to convey the powerful simplicity of this work. The performers will bring the visions of whaling alive in an avante-garde performance which includes the audience in the very fabric of the production.

The co-working of British and Dutch singers and instrumentalists emphasizes the lineage of Melville himself (father: Allan Melville, mother: Maria Gansevoort) and the selection of Amsterdam for the premiere complements the home of the writer for most of his life, in New York City (originally New Amsterdam). Moreover, Goldschneider himself is an American who has lived in Holland for 18 years and is a Dutch citizen.

Call Me Ishmael contains many contemporary musical elements, but perhaps owes most to the two classics of the American musical-operatic stage: George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess and Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story.


The composer's view of the work

The story of Moby Dick