Coral music is delicate and complicated. The differences between the groups are sometimes not evident. The nuances are the elements that make the difference, and in such demanding details it is difficult for the experts to agree.

We enjoyed in Tolosa de 47. We can draw this conclusion from the Coral Contest. I saw the jury's decision right, and fair, but certainly my decision would be another one. The French team Mikrokosmos, with all the merits, won most of the prizes it aspired to. It's a strong team, with first-class voices, especially men, and with an exceptional director, Loïc Pierre. He brought his team with all the musicality and, as a result, elegant and precise interpretations emerged. But I didn't fall in love with that group, I didn't get too close. The same happened to me with almost all the choirs, except one: Emil Darzins Chamber Choir of Latvia. Maybe it wasn't that perfect technically, but the performance of a song was enough to be awarded. For this song, they received a mention, the award for the best interpretation of a Basque work. That was not enough, in my view. In their wonderful interpretation of the work of Xabier Sarasola Maitagoa, we saw the difference between this group and others. In the form of folklore it was a mandatory song, so after singing all the groups, it allowed us to measure qualities. The Latvian version was far above it. It is a pity that he is the only one who has received such a prize.

The Japanese group Suginami Gakuin Higu School and Kikuka Ensemble won numerous awards. Very effective, but from my point of view not as an artist.

The Catalan choir Cor amics de la une, winner in the modality of children's choirs, was a wonderful group, and the American CWU Chamber Choir was very unlucky. Despite being a good choir, he received no mention. It must be understood that their style and school have nothing to do with European tradition, but we should appreciate their freshness and dynamism.