http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/23/arts/music/the-voce-series-with-french-songs-at-the-schimmel-center.html 2014-09-23 00:16:41 The Voce Series, With French Songs, at the Schimmel Center Several opera singers brought their talents to French art music and some American works at the Schimmel Center. === There are certain styles that are difficult to convey well: Most competent pianists, for example, can play Chopin decently, but it takes a more particular gift to win over an audience with Bach or Boulez. On the vocal front, the intimate, enigmatic French art song — a genre (like chamber music) that is often best suited to salon-style formats — can be challenging to render convincingly. Singers who are charismatic and natural on the opera stage often seem ill at ease in recital formats, although the soprano The pianist Steven Blier was an able accompanist and engaging host, describing the works on the first half of the program (which included Poulenc’s “Montparnasse” and “Le Pont,” and Roussel’s “Sarabande” and “Jazz dans la Nuit”) as social histories and travelogues. He noted how jazz harmonies were woven into French art song, and a sense of danger in the selections by Roussel. Ms. Bullock — who has impressed recently both as a recitalist and in productions at Juilliard — wielded her elegant, richly hued voice to alluring effect throughout, although she didn’t sound fully engaged until Vincent Scotto’s “J’ai Deux Amours,” written in 1930 for Josephine Baker. Mr. Appleby and Ms. Bullock joined forces for a vivid rendition of Agustín Lara’s “Prière à Zumba,” which concluded the first half. After intermission, the lineup featured songs by American composers. The baritone Andrew Garland sang with flair in Ned Rorem’s “Lordly Hudson” and Gabriel Kahane’s languid, lyrical “Merritt Parkway,” which Mr. Blier described as an imaginary collaboration between Schumann and the Beatles. Ms. Bullock shone throughout the second half, her sultry voice and charismatic stage presence a delight in selections including Alex Rogers’s “I’m a Jonah Man,” Irving Berlin’s “Harlem on My Mind” and Bernstein’s “A Julia de Burgos.” The concert ended on a lighthearted note with an encore: “Make Believe.” from “Showboat.”