Aler, Katz Sparkle in French Program

To begin a fourth summer season, the singers-and-pianists symposium SongFest on Saturday night offered an accurately described “Celebration of French Song.” American tenor John Aler, long a specialist in this repertory, and pianist Martin Katz, founder and director of the series, were the performers in a program of music by Bizet, Saint-Saens, Duparc, Faure and Dupont.

The joys were many for a filled-to-capacity Concert Hall at UC Irvine, the home of SongFest since 1998 (it originated at UCLA).

Aler, not in best voice, nevertheless sang communicatively, in moments handsomely, and with a quiet authority throughout. Still, his top notes were effortful, his ease compromised. Katz, a musical thoroughbred in all aspects of song literature, illuminated these 22 pieces--including one encore--with his usual imagination and flair.

Six melodies by Gabriel Dupont at the end of the program made the strongest impression, especially the final one, a pungent and irresistible realization of Verlaine’s often-set “Mandoline.” Here, Aler used facial expression and gesture more freely than earlier; the difference elicited great pleasure.

Before that, a Faure group, including “Poee d’un jour,” enclosed by “Nell” and “Lydia,” showed the tenor producing genuine legato phrases and honeyed tone, both of which were in short supply earlier.

Still, there were satisfactions to be found in Duparc’s “L’Invitation au voyage,” in the vocal-pianistic complexities of four Saint-Saens songs--particularly in “La mort d’Ophelie”--and in the opening Bizet group.

The single encore was Reynaldo Hahn’s “Le Rossignol de Lilas.”