The pause at 1:40 was an artistic pause. You might not agree with the artistry there, but it was nonetheless.
As to some of your other references -- 0:53 "unsatisfying," 2:40 "sounds weird," and 4:55 "sound rather cheesy," that's obviously a matter of opinion and I can't take issue with that.
I agree that there are periods of sloppy playing, and you have a good ear for catching most of these. I don't feel that these small errors detract from the enjoyment of the piece, though. None of them are glaring, certainly.
The reason I never "officially" released any of my other recordings is because they all have glaring errors which in my opinion DO detract from the enjoyment of the piece. I am hoping to get back in the studio to rerecord them eventually, though. (I've been saying "eventually" for at least 2 years now.)