Cirrus@Austlit

Operetta.

Taken from one of the Heptameron tales - a collection of 72 short stories written in French by Marguerite, Queen of Navarre (1492-1549) - A Summer Night is set in Tuscony. The story begins at sunset and ends at dawn and concerns five characters, Facio, a farmer ; his friend Niccolo ; Toni, a peasant muleteer ; Lucretia, Facio's wife ; and Lisa, a servant to Facio who is betrothed to Toni. The action revolves around Facio and Niccolo's attempt to see whether or not Lisa might make herself available to one of them. Niccolo wagers he will that night obtain from her proof that she is accessible - the proof being the wedding ring that Facio presented her as a wedding present. Facio arranges a meeting with the young girl under the chestnut tree when it is dark and Niccolo takes his place. Lisa consents to the meeting but then confides in her mistress, Lucretia, who, unaware that the men have swapped places, takes the girl's place in the dark. A confusion of events ensues - Facio discovers in the morning that Niccolo has secured not Lisa's ring but his wife's, and Lucretia discovers that it was her husband's friend who made love to her. A happy ending is found in the early morning, but not before recriminations and mutual discoveries are exposed.

The Pall Mall Gazette critic indicates that the plot, although containing a quality of amusement that redeemed it, nevertheless seemed to suffer in its translation from the page to the stage. 'One [feels, however], that the opera as a whole [is] lacking in cohesion... it was not until the climax of the action occurred that the attention was properly held' (p4). The Times viewed the production similarly, suggesting that several incidents were not fully explained, and indeed, became somewhat confusing in their presentation. Both critics also agreed that Clutsam's music, while not setting new standards or inviting new directions, did on the other hand carry 'the business of the scenes with complete success' (Times 25 July 1910, p13). The Pall Mall Gazette records in this regard that 'the music occasionally seemed to lack grip [dramatically]... but from the general view is without doubt a very clever piece of work... essentially melodious, harmonically fanciful and married throughout by a thorough and complete attention to detail, while the scoring... [shows] an admirable knowledge of true effect' (p4). A report in the Brisbane Courier quotes on London critic as saying: 'Mr Clutsam's scoring is pointed, fanciful to a degree, picturesque, even humorous when occasion requires, and above all things, it comes off' (24 September 1910, p12). A few weeks earlier the Sydney Morning Herald suggested that 'being a modern opera, A Summer Night contains scarcely anything of the set air variety, but a great deal of genuine melody, well assisted by the composer's unfailing orchestral source' (10 September 1910, p4).