Would like to know what the general opinion is about repeating sections in a classical sonata. Am playing the les adieux for ltcl and was wondering if it would be "musically relevant" to play the repeats in the 1st and 3rd movts. It would add a bit more time to my programme which I quite desperately need. Am not a full time piano student so am trying to get out of having to do another piece to make up time but dont want to feel like a fink about it. Help!

It is a performance diploma and is quite usual for repeats to be played in performances, so if you don't wish to add another piece, (I seem to recall it is just a couple of minutes that you are short) go for it. It will solve your problem.

I could be wrong but I think that if you miss repeats you must be prepared to justify it in musical terms (i.e. not just "I had to cut something out to be within the time limit") at the viva. Bizarrely, if you DON'T miss repeats under some circumstances you may also be asked to justify it!

So ... how would one justify playing or not playing repeats in musical terms? I'm assuming one answer is that it depends on the piece, of course!

I had this dilemma for LGSMD too, albeit with a baroque piece - the problem being that it comprised a theme and divisions, each set of divisions having two repeated sections, and the whole thing threatened to become very dull if played out in full, but I needed to fill time. I couldn't resort to the usual practice in baroque music of ornamenting the repeats because the divisions were effectively ornamentation in their own right - so I solved that one by articulating the repeats differently.

So - justification for missing out repeats could include a piece sounding dull or unbalanced to modern ears, and for keeping them in, historical accuracy or to show an understanding of the practice of the time in which the music was written...

Thanks for all these ideas, have been playing the les adieux with repeats over the past week and it actually makes more sense to do them. It adds a bit of gravity to both the farewell and the return. ( dont know if i'm making any sense at all!) Lucky i will not need to defend myself in a viva!

I just love that Farewell section, and then where is gradually sets up for the Retour, --Beethoven at his best !
Good luck ! I would love to be able to play it to performance standard.

Good for you, petrof!
The great Chilean pianist, the late Claudio Arrau when interviewed about the Beethoven Sonatas was asked when you should/should not play repeats. He replied, 'You ALWAYS play the repeats in the Beethoven Sonatas.'
That is one reason why my favourite interpretation of them is Arrau's.