Repeats

[kriskicksass]

Do you play them? Why or why not? What about second endings?

I always play repeats unless I have a specific time restriction because I feel that the great composers (especially the Baroque and Classical composers) knew more about form than I do. Same applies for first and second endings.

[thalbergmad]

I have been known to leave out repeats in some Schubert Sonatas.

Thal

[debussy symbolism]

Greetings.

I think it also depends on the music. Professionally speaking, yes, you do need to make repeats as they are part of the music, however, during a student recital of a family recital, depending on the piece, it's okay to avoid the repeats just for time's sake. One of my student's recital pieces was the Mozart's "Ah, vous direz-je maman" variations. I played it without repeats. On the other hand, my other piece, being the Alla Turca, I was supposed to make a repeat of the first sections, right before the broken octaves. I avoided that and I shouldn't have. However, I think that it is important to make the other repeats withing the pices because they add in to the music and the overall quality of sound.

[nick]

Rarely do I do repeats as there is generally enough repeat without the repeat, if you know what I mean.

Nick

[pianochild]

Whel it totaly depends on the piece,

Nick i agree that sometimes a section has enough repetition as there is in it.

if a repetition  is too repetetive i muss them out. I dont like listening to sometimes a whole page twice?!

Especially whn i did ABRSM

[mike_lang]

It depends on the situation and type of piece.

Repeats are there for a reason.  In sonatas, where the exposition is repeated, it is helpful so that the development is intelligible to the listener.  This, of course, is not necessary in competitions, auditions, etc., in which there is a knowledgeable panel; however, it is a courtesy to a recital audience.

In variation sets, often times there will be repeats in the variations to ensure that the proportions of the variations match those of the theme.  Therefore, the repeats must be taken here.

Elsewhere, I think that it is up to you - use your discretion.

Best,
ML

[moi_not_toi]

i guess it depends on how long the repeat is.

If it's really long, you don't want to bore the audience.
There is an exception to this: In baroque music, if you are adding your own ornaments (which is, sadly, rarely done) you should repeat to keem them enthused.

If the repeat is really short, like a line or a measure or two, go ahead and do what the composer wanted you to.

if you are in certain competitions, like "Guild" and "Federation" they sometimes tell you specifically NOT to take repeats. In this case, I would suggest not taking them.