A—Ky—Dignified, understated, smooth, hymnlike; request rather than cry to the heavens
A—Ch—Sandrine Piau; sweet, tender, but ultimately operatic, with much vibrato and dramatic swells and pauses
A—Gl—Crisp, lots of punch and energy, joyous
B—LT—Anne-Lise Sollied; shortest; orchestra is frothy, singer is operatic, orating importantly with lots of vibrato; I can just see her, hands clasped in front of her at her waist, one palm up, one down, staring straight ahead as she sings; disconnected sound with orchestra’s mood
A—Gr—Severe, churchy chorale
B—DD—Vibrato-laden; two haughty queens discussing peasants; neither a battle nor a smooth, integrated sound
A—QT—Dignified, staggering, plaintive, almost wailing at times; nice
A—Qu—Vibrato-laden operatic trio; tenor gets a little lost behind the sopranos’ prominence
A—JC—Same
A—CSS—Excellent, crisp voice entrances and melismas; good climactic cadence; best?
A—Cr—Bright, driving, but voices lack a little in enthusiasm; I hear chickens at 1, 2, and 3! (also in Corboz and Abbado)
A—Et—Sandrine Piau; sweetly operatic, again with vibrato and dramatic swells; high notes both sweet and clean
A—S—Dignified, uplifting; good brass presence
A—H—Joyful, crisp, a little restrained
A—B—Most buoyant of the ensembles, but they don’t smile; tenor still gets outsung for volume; legato strings at B