In an early scene from "Moby-Dick," the crew of the whaling vessel The Pequod get to know their skipper. His name is Captain Ahab, and they are on a dangerous journey to track down the white whale that took part of Ahab’s leg on a previous voyage. 

It’s the Metropolitan Opera premiere of the 2010 adaptation of Herman Melville’s 19th century classic story.

Composer Jake Heggie did the music, collaborating with librettist Gene Scheer on the words. Heggie remembers that getting the opera afloat wasn’t easy.

“I struggled for like six months to write music, and I had to throw it all away because I hadn’t found Ahab," Heggie said, adding that once he found him: “I went back and wrote the whole opera in about four months.”

The opera is an immersive experience, almost like an IMAX movie, as the crew takes on the whale to no avail. The all-star cast is under the direction of Leonard Foglia, in his Met Opera debut.

“The Met gives us so many advantages, I mean it’s the largest stage in the world. It has the highest proscenium of any place I’ve ever been, and allows us to have a scale of things that we’ve never quite had before,” Foglia said.

Scheer says this take on the classic story is a perfect first opera for any New Yorker out there.

“I think it’s something that they will not expect, and they will be really drawn into it and love the music,” Scheer said.

Heggie is just as complimentary of Scheer’s libretto and Foglia’s staging. 

“Young people love this production because it’s a real adventure story, it’s visually stimulating, and you care about the characters and their journeys. It’s just a really amazing adventure,” he said.

The opera, which first premiered in Dallas, makes its Metropolitan Opera premiere on March 3. To book passage on this operatic voyage, head here.