John P.: >The observation that Serkin also hummed "is" irrelevant because it must >have been done un-intrusively; this is the first time I've heard that >Serkin hummed. Obviously, Serkin was respectful of the music. Not live, it wasn't unobtrusive. Thin, cracked, high (something like Tiny Tim), wavering, and off-key. Definitely noticeable. But, once one registered it, it didn't seem to matter and nobody threw eggs or walked out or shouted "C'est un scandale!" Steve Schwartz