Commenting on Serkin's interpretation of the "Waldstein" Sonata at Carnegie Hall in 1986, music critic Donal Henehan wrote in the New York Times: "The ardent enthusiasm that underlies his music-making often moved him in earlier times to be almost brutal with the piano, as if to force it to bow to his wishes. Despite his professorial appearance, he was and is more of a visionary prophet than a strict formalist. Today, however, he is more concerned than in the past with beautiful sound and shades of color, insofar as these do not get in the way of his basic convictions. This time he took a more measured approach to the opening movement, never feeling compelled to pound the keys vigorously to set up his dramatic climaxes. Among numerous other wonderful passages, the delicate transition between the slow second movement and the rondo final movement was particularly impressive. In the last movement, Serkin displayed a mastery of touch that any young virtuoso would envy." In 1989, Serkin was no longer a hotshot, but Deutsche Grammophon's sound engineers captured his hard-to-record specific sound more realistically and vividly than before. "[Serkin] always felt," said Thomas Frost, "that the only weakness of recorded music was that it couldn't reproduce big climbs, the whole dynamic range from pianissimo to fortissimo." That changed with the advent of digital technology, and even at such a late stage in his career, Serkin was able to convey every dynamic shade clearly and convincingly, as if he were not only playing the piano but also playing with the mood and acoustics of the room. In a world marked by uncertainty and impermanence, Serkin's uncompromising attitude, his renunciation of showmanship, and his commitment to artistic truth are more important and significant than ever.