Bernard Gregoire <[log in to unmask]> writes:

>Given the fact that repeats indicate a certain lapse in the creative
>process or just plain laziness on part of the composer, I see no problem
>in editing repeats from certain performances.

They indicate no such thing.  They merely indicate that the composer has
directed that the passage be repeated.  Repetition is a staple of music,
and the composer's instruction that a passage be repeated is his
prerogative to lay the necessary thematic foundation for his piece, give
it structural balance, or serve whatever purpose that is his and only his
decision to make.

>Perceived "purity" of performance seems unnecessarily precise when
>differences in instrumental style may simply overwhelm whatever the
>composer MAY have "intended" in the first place.

Your "MAY" connnotes a certain vagueness in what a composer intends.
However, there is nothing vague about the repeat sign.  It means "Play
this part again." Nothing vague about that,

-Jocelyn Wang
Culver Chamber Music Series