The French, in the Mood for Love at SongFest Series

How do you make a recital of foreign-language art songs interesting to English-speaking audiences? Hire Graham Johnson--pianist, educator, lecturer, wicked wit.

That’s what SongFest 2001 did Sunday afternoon in Chapman University’s Salmon Recital Hall as it launched the second topic of its summer series, “French Song and Opera,” with a cleverly designed grab-bag of French songs that was called “Histoires d’une Liaison.”

Johnson opened with a stately paced lecture on the history of French songs, laced with pithy quips about composers--Roussel “sparkles like a dry champagne,” Poulenc “pulls your leg and tugs at your heartstrings”--and affectionate digs at the French from a British point of view. He kept up a wry running commentary throughout the program, which traced the evolution of love affairs from the first meeting through the throes of love, marriage, infidelities, breakups and recoveries.

Neatly overriding all of those clashing styles--the languorous “Tristan”-drenched ecstasy of Duparc, clownish Poulenc cynicism, Debussy’s whole-tone exotica and violence, sentimental Chabrier, even a galloping, Britten-arranged folk song--the text-driven arc, coupled with Johnson’s often deflating comments, tied everything together in a coherent, entertaining way.

Almost lost in the shuffle was the young baritone Brandon Velarde, a graduate of UC Irvine studying at London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama. With his earnest, understated approach and a pleasant, at times grainy tone, Velarde almost seemed like an appendage to Johnson’s act in the first half of the program. Indeed, the experienced accompanist’s playing was sometimes surprisingly overbearing. But Johnson relaxed and Velarde opened up a bit in the second half, doing an especially communicative job with Ravel’s “The Peacock.”