HAVANA — Fidel Castro called in to the Venezuelan president during a television and radio broadcast today, the first time the ailing Cuban leader has made a live media appearance since February.

The telephone call came minutes after visiting Venezuelan President Chavez aired a new videotape of their weekend meeting in which he sang revolutionary hymns to Mr. Castro and called him “father of all revolutionaries.”

“I am very touched when you sing about Che,” Mr. Castro told Mr. Chavez during his call to Mr. Chavez’s “Alo, Presidente!” program — referring to revolutionary icon Ernesto “Che” Guevara, to whom the program was dedicated.

“There is electricity in the air,” Mr. Chavez said, obviously pleased with Mr. Castro’s call.

On the videotape, reportedly made during a meeting of more than four hours yesterday afternoon, Mr. Chavez also gave Mr. Castro a painting he said he made while imprisoned in the early 1990s after leading a failed coup.

The dark-colored painting showed the bars of his cell and a night scene beyond, with a full red moon and a guard tower in the distance.

Mr. Castro told him he needed to sign his work. “No one knows the merit that this has, that you did this!”

Cuban state television was broadcasting Mr. Chavez’s program live from Santa Clara, where the communist government last week commemorated the 40th anniversary of Guevara’s death.

Mr. Chavez toured the museum below the towering statue of Guevara, which also contains a mausoleum housing Guevara’s remains.