Brahms op 15, last movement

[extroitus]

I'm puzzled by the notation in the following bars. The cantabile is in straight eights, while the lower part of the right hand is in triplets. However, at some points the two voices coincide. My question is: Are the marked notes to be played like straight eights, or with delays to make them in line with the lower voice? All recordings I have point to straight playing, but the notation is ambiguous.

[stevebob]

As you say, the upper voice is in straight eighths.  It seems clear that's how it should be played, whether or not it overlaps the notes of the lower voice.

I'm not sure how else it might be written to make the execution more plain.  I took a stab at it, and this just doesn't look right; I don't believe it's strictly proper that a note in one voice be tied to a note in a different voice.



Even if the notation in your example is ambiguous, I think that the manner of execution is implicit.