Naxos' release of Glimmerglass Opera's production of Stephen Hartke's The Greater Good, or The Passion of Boule de Suif, is an important contribution to the archive of recorded American opera. The opera, with a fine libretto by Philip Littell and based on a short story by
Guy de Maupassant, received its premiere in summer 2006. The plot is essentially very simple: in the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War, a group of French travelers fleeing the occupying army is prevented from proceeding to safe territory until one of them, Boule de Suif, a notorious prostitute, agrees to sleep with a Prussian officer. She adamantly refuses, but is finally persuaded by the earnest entreaties of her compatriots, who shamefully scorn her once the deed is done. The opera holds our interest for its two-and-a-half-hour length because it has enough layers of complexity to keep it intriguing, and the numerous characters -- the travelers, the coachman, and the innkeepers -- are so clearly individuated, making it a genuine ensemble piece. It's an opera that defies easy categorization; it has strong comic elements, and the characters are depicted with humor, but the group's ultimate spurning of Boule is a damning, deeply saddening commentary on human nature. The effect of its dramatic ambiguity is not unlike that of
Henze's Der junge Lord, a darkly hilarious depiction of comic eccentrics, until the last scene, in which all the characters, including the most sympathetic, are revealed as fools, or worse, leaving the audience with a disturbing sense of sadness.
It's to Hartke's credit that he hasn't written a light comedy. His music has enough edge and thorniness that the audience is never lulled into sympathy for any of the characters, except Boule herself, whose music reflects her expansiveness and generosity. There's a sophisticated cleverness, particularly in the light and inventive orchestration, which points up the drollery of various situations, but Hartke never writes at the level of easy humor. His text setting is basically lyrical, but seldom blossoms into full-throated bel canto melody. The cast is uniformly fine in its vivid characterizations of the individuals thrown together under such adverse circumstances. Soprano Caroline Worra, as Boule, stands out for the richness of her voice and the warmth of her portrayal.
Stewart Robertson deftly leads the Glimmerglass Opera Orchestra through Hartke's mercurial score. The sound is somewhat shallow, but there is good balance between the orchestra and the singers, who are always easily understood.