Dear Mark,
Thank you for your comprehensive and kind words. Yes, I do give some time for each segment to blossom. Though, I am always aware of trying to keep the attention of the audience and inject a sense of unpredictability - a change in direction. It is a fine balance.
Yes, to my regret, there is quite a lot of distortion in this recording. That is my error.
I very much enjoyed your analogy of looking at a long piece as a journey through a beautiful English garden. It has been three years since I returned home to England. Although I was born and raised in South-London where beautiful English gardens are not exactly readily found.