Recordings
Hartke: The Greater Good
Released: June 18, 2007 | Catalog Num: NXS 8669014
Stephen Hartke’s The Greater Good was commissioned by Glimmerglass Opera, and is a strikingly original contribution to the operatic repertory. Based on an iconic short story by Maupassant set during the immediate aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War, The Greater Good is notable for its sure-footed dramatic pacing and astute use of different techniques and subtle references to a variety of musical styles in order to portray the characters in a variety of moods and situations. This is the opera’s world premiere recording.
Performers: Caroline Worra (Soprano), John DeHaan (Tenor), Christine Abraham (Mezzo Soprano), Andrew Wentzel (Bass Baritone), Matthew Worth (Baritone), Jeanine Thames (Soprano), Dorothy Byrne (Mezzo Soprano), Jill Gardner (Soprano), Elaine Alvarez (Soprano), Christopher Burchett (Baritone)
Conductor: Stewart Robertson
Ensemble: Glimmerglass Opera Orchestra
Notes: Alice Busch Opera Theater, Cooperstown, NY (07/30/2006 – 08/15/2006)
Running Time: 142 min. 31 sec.
Venue: Alice Busch Opera Theater, Cooperstown, NY
Buy Online: Naxosdirect or Amazon
“There are some exceptionally colorful set pieces, including Madame Loiseau’s rangy, indignant aria about Boule (‘Isn’t it her job to be a whore?’), impressively delivered by soprano Jill Gardner in a leaping, swooping frenzy of righteousness.”
—Joshua Rosenblum, Opera News