The fragmentation and secularization of everyday life is something that is felt as acutely by people on the left as on the right; it is time for liberals, progressives and moderates to return to Rabbi Lerner's thoughtful phrase.
There is wide concern that eloquence has fallen victim to expediency, that the thoughtful phrase has been replaced by the fascicle contraction, that communication is suffering, and that texting bears the brunt of the blame.
Oren Gradus's rich, deep bass and thoughtful phrasing gave the "Quoniam" a fascinating combination of spiritual and dramatic heft.
Here Ms. Netrebko's characteristically pure, beautifully formed, resonant tones are heard to ravishing effect, and the music is invested with thoughtful phrasing.
Even when the reading veered toward heaviness, in both minuets, Mr. Levine usually applied an unexpected balance or a thoughtful phrasing touch that effectively disarmed any objections.
Weston Hurt was a strong Emperor and Amy Wallace-Styles brought a deep mezzo-soprano timbre and thoughtful phrasing to Death, who was rendered powerless by the Nightingale's song.
But Mr. Jarvi, the orchestra's director since 2004, clearly prizes highly charged music making, often at top speed, with thoughtful phrasing and sharply punched accents.
Mr. Pollini's rendition of Debussy's Préludes, Book I, proved significantly more appealing than the Chopin, although here, too, a wider range of colors and more thoughtful phrasing would have improved the performance.
Of the soloists, Sara Jean Ford brought a thin, pinched tone to the soprano arias, but Ryan MacPherson, the tenor, illuminated his solo contributions with a rich, warm tone and thoughtful phrasing.
In a song like Dowland's supremely melancholy "Come, Heavy Sleep" he uses dynamic nuance, thoughtful phrasing and even a judicious touch of vibrato to magnify the emotional pull.
Mr. Hanani's rich tone and thoughtful phrasing made a powerful case for it in a performance that had a convincing subtext: The 19th-century cello repertory is not so vast that cellists (or their admirers) should neglect works this opulently lyrical.
