His voice floated from a husky conversational ease to a weightless croon or a cellolike hum.

Sviatoslav Richter is not exactly understated, but his Schumann playing has the same self-evident conviction, brilliance communicated with conversational ease.

A tale of true hearts stymied, Philippe Quinault's libretto achieves mathematical elegance, and Lully's vocal lines have a conversational ease, intensifying into pure, spare lyricism.

The three Fugees rap with casual assurance, easily shifting speed and meter from conversational ease to triple-time dance-hall style.

One keystone of his humor is his apparent nonchalance, the conversational ease with he approaches urgent (often urban) anxieties.

In the United States, there arose "democratic" virtuosos, like Itzhak Perlman or Yo-Yo Ma - equals among equals, who speak with conversational ease.

All this was told with a conversational ease, as almost a confidence between old friends.

Hélène Grimaud, the pianist, played the Ravel with a disarming, offhanded, even conversational ease and a cleanness that made the orchestra sound a little muddy in comparison.

She can write concise folklike melodies or send words tumbling out on one note with jazzy conversational ease.

A reviewer in The New York Times summed up her approach this way: "Facts, figures, broad word-pictures and succinct arguments are all presented with conversational ease."