With a sharp articulation, he halted them.

They are deceptively clear yet oddly confounding amalgams of color fields, erotically distorted or fragmented bodies and sharp, linear articulations of space, with, here and there, pieces of furniture or still-life objects.

The sharp articulation that Ms. Gumerova showed in Nikiya's lament in Act II was used to full-bodied effect in her "Shades" scene.

Yet the sharp articulation of the Copland remained in place and was applied to Bach's ornaments and the brisk counterpoint that drives the fast movements.

Maria de Lourdes Davila stands out with her sharp articulation in the overlapping patterns.

Marc Minkowski and his period-instrument band address the two last symphonies with an explosiveness and an exuberance that suit this approach, but also with transparent textures and sharp articulation that preserve the music's elegance.

Perhaps the most striking aspect of the choral performance on Thursday night was its sharp articulation, which kept the texts remarkably clear but quickly came to seem mannered, not to mention predictable.

At the door, Salter paused, listening to the swelling of the chant, which had reached a hideous, outlandish pitch punctuated by the sharp articulations of Xitli.

At the 1960 Warsaw Autumn Festival, his Scontri, written for orchestra, caused a sensation among critics due to its use of sharp contrasts and harsh articulations.

But this overly sharp articulation may have had less to do with Mr. Yen than with the Fazioli piano, a brand known for its brightness and clarity.