Barry,
I didn't get to hear the quoted de Waart/SFSO M9th concert (1984) but I heard the archive. IMO to this day, it is the best all around, the single finest account of the symphony. It had unmatched clarity and transparency, consummate execution, and a great sense of architecture. It wasn't overtly emotional a la Bernstein but it wasn't clinical a la Boulez either. I hope SFSO will someday issue the concert archive for general release.
John
PS Hi Barry, did you check my message sent a while ago?