The 'ideal' language, in my eyes, would allow terse representation of _algorithms_, not of the language syntax. This often means that you need several different ways to do the same kind of thing in different contexts.

"The syntax is terse" doesn't help if the libraries aren't. We want libraries and common concepts to be terse. That's why I feel that any language designed without heavy consideration for how it's standard libraries are to be used is a regressive exercise. Write your libraries how you want them to be used, then figure out the syntax from that.