Hal, I’d like to hear that version sometime. Is it only on tape?
In my opinion, minimal vibratto is always good. Some soloists, and Leonard Bernstein appeared to favor them in his recordings, go to such extremes that they’re sounding the “wrong” note about half the time. I understand that vibratto shows exceptional talent, but does it have to be displayed at the expense of the ears?
Your discussion of tempo and flourish for some reason reminded me of an essay (I believe by George Bernard Shaw) complaining about performances of The Messiah by English choruses because they so often failed to perform the texts without making them sound mechanical, e.g. “Tellit Outa Mongthe Heathen.”
