Recording of Op. 18 and 111 WITH expo repeats

[BrahmsGuides]

Wow, Felix, your anti-expo repeat stance and your passion about it are at least as strange as the devotion to them shown by those of us who prefer them. Your "repeat the expo 10 times if you have the CD" thing is of course disingenous because it ignores the issue of the first ending, which has been argued is the primary reason for taking that repeat (and which you address in your post above). Brahms often varied things in performances. That doesn't mean that they are aesthetically the right thing to do. He didn't object to Clara Schumann slicing and dicing up the Paganini Variations and combining the two books together (which are really two separate works), an unfortunate practice continued by Arturo Michelangeli and Yuja Wang. That doesn't mean it's the best way to hear the Paganini Variations. The fact is that the Second Symphony also has a long exposition repeat with a very interesting modulation back. If he wanted it removed, he could have done so, but obviously he never did.

You might have an argument with the repeat in the First, which is kind of jerky and doesn't work so well, but I think it's needed to balance the Finale (kind of like the repeat in Mahler's Sixth, which should NEVER be omitted).

I prefer repeats, and I belive recordings should include them as a truth in advertising thing. Horowitz always took the repeat in the Schubert B-flat sonata. Brendel was different. So I'd buy Horowitz's recording instead of Brendel's.

Incidentally, Brendel's recording of the 2nd Piano Concerto (Brahms) with Abbado on Phillips DOES take the repeat in the second movement.

[Felix]

You have a false idea about my wanting expo repeats to be omitted. I was talking originally about two works:
Brahms Stringquintet op. 111 for which I had my special reasons, already explained - I would enjoy the work as much with the expo repeat. It starts with one of Brahms most passionate outbursts of feeling.
The Schubert B flat Sonata D.960 - here I think the expo should definitely not be repeated. We will just have to agree to disagree on this.

In Beethoven I think repeats should always be played.

Brahms is very cogent in his explanation of why he didn't repeat the expo of the 2nd Symphony at a performance. I quoted the story just to show that not repeating is not such a terrible heresy. I am against blind adherence to the letter of the law.

Yours,
Felix