The Greater Good, or the Passion of Boule de Suif
Encyclopedia
The Greater Good, or the Passion of Boule de Suif is an opera
in two acts by contemporary American
composer Stephen Hartke
, with an English libretto
by the Philip Littell, based on the short story Boule de Suif
by Guy de Maupassant
. It was commissioned by the Glimmerglass Opera
, and premiered on 22 July 2006 at Glimmerglass, in Cooperstown, New York
.
. In Act I, a group of French citizens flee Rouen
, which has been occupied by the Prussia
ns, travelling to Le Havre
in a stagecoach
. The prostitute Boule de Suif is initially snubbed by all of the other, more "proper" passengers. However, Boule is the only one to have planned ahead for the trip and brought a basket of food. She takes pity on her hungry travelling companions and shares her food with them, at which they are all grateful and become friendly to Boule. When the coach reaches the village of Tôtes, the occupants are detained at an inn by Prussian soldiers.
In Act II, the travelers learn that the Prussian commandant will not let them continue on their way unless Boule sleeps with him. The others initially support Boule in rejecting the commandant's demand, but over time their attitude changes and they urge Boule to comply. Eventually, she does, for "the greater good". In the final scene, travelers resume their journey, but Boule is once again ostracized by those whom she had saved.
of The New Yorker
called The Greater Good "a tightly constructed, vividly imagined piece that may mark the emergence of a major opera composer." The Los Angeles Times
, despite complaining that "exploring [the characters'] inner lives leads nowhere", praised Hartke's music for its liveliness and theatrical flair. On the other hand, the Toronto Star
said that "Hartke's music, while easy enough to listen to, became even easier to forget".
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
in two acts by contemporary American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
composer Stephen Hartke
Stephen Hartke
Stephen Paul Hartke is an American composer. He grew up in Manhattan, where his first piano teacher was Mary Miley, and has lived in California since the 1980s...
, with an English libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by the Philip Littell, based on the short story Boule de Suif
Boule de Suif
Boule de Suif is a short story by the late-19th century French writer Guy de Maupassant. It is arguably his most famous short story, and is the title story for his collection on the Franco-Prussian War, entitled "Boule de Suif et Autres Contes de la Guerre"...
by Guy de Maupassant
Guy de Maupassant
Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant was a popular 19th-century French writer, considered one of the fathers of the modern short story and one of the form's finest exponents....
. It was commissioned by the Glimmerglass Opera
Glimmerglass Opera
Glimmerglass Festival is an opera company which was founded in 1975 by Peter Macris and presents an annual season of operas at the Alice Busch Opera Theater on Otsego Lake eight miles north of Cooperstown, New York, United States.The summer-only season usually consists of four operas performed in...
, and premiered on 22 July 2006 at Glimmerglass, in Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown is a village in Otsego County, New York, USA. It is located in the Town of Otsego. The population was estimated to be 1,852 at the 2010 census.The Village of Cooperstown is the county seat of Otsego County, New York...
.
Synopsis
The opera is set in 1871, at the end of the Franco-Prussian WarFranco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
. In Act I, a group of French citizens flee Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
, which has been occupied by the Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
ns, travelling to Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
in a stagecoach
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
. The prostitute Boule de Suif is initially snubbed by all of the other, more "proper" passengers. However, Boule is the only one to have planned ahead for the trip and brought a basket of food. She takes pity on her hungry travelling companions and shares her food with them, at which they are all grateful and become friendly to Boule. When the coach reaches the village of Tôtes, the occupants are detained at an inn by Prussian soldiers.
In Act II, the travelers learn that the Prussian commandant will not let them continue on their way unless Boule sleeps with him. The others initially support Boule in rejecting the commandant's demand, but over time their attitude changes and they urge Boule to comply. Eventually, she does, for "the greater good". In the final scene, travelers resume their journey, but Boule is once again ostracized by those whom she had saved.
Roles
| Premiere, 22 July 2006 (Stewart Robertson Stewart Robertson Stewart Robertson is a Scottish conductor. He attended the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and Bristol University... , conductor) |
||
|---|---|---|
| Boule de Suif | soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... |
Caroline Worra |
| M. Loiseau | tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2... |
John David Dehaan |
| Mme. Loiseau | soprano | Jill Gardner |
| M. Carre-Lamadon | baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or... |
Christopher Burchett |
| Mme. Carre-Lamadon | mezzo-soprano Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above... |
Christine Abraham |
| The Old Nun | soprano | Jeanine Thames |
| The Young Nun | mezzo-soprano | Katherine Calcamuggio |
| Le Comte de Breville | bass-baritone Bass-baritone A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three Wagnerian roles: the Dutchman in Der fliegende... |
Andrew Wentzel |
| La Comtesse de Breville | soprano | Elaine Alvarez |
| M. Follenvie | bass | Liam Moran |
| Mme. Follenvie | mezzo-soprano | Dorothy Byrne Dorothy Byrne (mezzo-soprano) Dorothy Byrne is an American operatic mezzo-soprano. She has performed leading and comprimario roles at several opera houses in the United States, including the Metropolitan Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Chicago Opera Theater, the Boston Lyric Opera, the Des Moines Metro Opera, the Hawaii... |
| Coachman | baritone | Matthew Worth |
| Cornudet | bass-baritone | Seth Keeton |
| Prussian Officer | tenor | Christian Reinert |
Critical response
Response to the opera in 2006 was mixed. Alex RossAlex Ross (New Yorker critic)
Alex Ross is an American music critic. He has been on the staff of The New Yorker magazine since 1996 and published a critically acclaimed book on 20th-century classical music in 2007, The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century....
of The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
called The Greater Good "a tightly constructed, vividly imagined piece that may mark the emergence of a major opera composer." The Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, despite complaining that "exploring [the characters'] inner lives leads nowhere", praised Hartke's music for its liveliness and theatrical flair. On the other hand, the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
said that "Hartke's music, while easy enough to listen to, became even easier to forget".