Edition: U.S. / Global

Review/Music; A Much-Cut 'Fairy Queen,'Purcell's 'Semi-Opera'

Published: June 24, 1989

The Central City Chorus's concert performance of ''The Fairy Queen'' on Thursday night at the Central Presbyterian Church was better perceived as an honorable conclusion to the church's musical season than as an important statement of Purcell's score.

This is an example of a ''semi-opera'' or ''dramatic opera,'' that form of Restoration musical theater in which the story was advanced by actors with all manner of songs and choruses, instrumental excursions and dances. This performance eliminated the text (based on Shakespeare's ''Midsummer Night's Dream'') and made significant cuts in the music, especially from the first three of the five acts.

What was left still lasted well over two hours, with one intermission. It was punctuated by a particularly raucous New York summer night, with sirens and blasting horns and jackhammers cutting through the hot, humid air. Still, despite weaknesses, there was some decent music-making and, of course, Purcell's always lovely and sometimes quite remarkable music.

The strongest aspect of the performance was the playing of the 11 instrumentalists, most of whom were using period-style instruments (the most obvious exception was the sweetly played valved trumpets). Unfortunately, Charles Pilling, the chorus music director, seemed unable to elicit invariably clean entrances, and sometimes there were outright false entrances and other confusions.

The chorus, 36 strong, sang sturdily if without great refinement. The solo singers made a solid group, with the sopranos of Debra Vanderlinde (bright and delicate) and Elizabeth Pruett (darker and better suited to the tragic utterances) contrasting nicely. The others were Neil Farrell, countertenor; Salvatore Champagne, tenor, and Paul Rowe, baritone.