I really like the tonal gradation and saturation in the second shot; it seems nice and long as well as smooth. It strikes a very good balance between exquisitely subtle and smack you in the face full on HDR.
So at first glance I really wouldn’t peg this one as a full on HDR shot, not at all over the top as some HRD can seem to be at times. I have this notion that when a very large range of EV values are compressed, the color saturation values get compressed as well and concentrated, at least in my mind that is how I think of it. This I think leads to the super saturated colors and short/compressed tonal scale. I don’t see this type of effect with your rendition of what I imagine this scene would have likely been in reality.
Later Larry