Is the exposition on Beethoven's 7th Symphony supposed to repeat?

Question

This was the first piece of classical music I ever took any interest in.  I was maybe 12 at the time.  I didn't know jack about "expositions" or "sonata-allegro form" but I seem to remember the first portion of the first movement "coming around" again.

Years later when I decided to take up classical music again and started learning this stuff I listened to the 7th and it seemed like the first movement was cut short.  I finally realized that the first recording I heard must have repeated the exposition and susequent recordings did not.  How is it supposed to be played?  That is, how did Beethoven originally mark it?

I located Franz Listz's piano transcription of the 7th symphony and he had the exposition repeating.  Are there any recordings of the full symphony where this is done?

del_icious_manager · Accepted Answer

Yes the exposition should definitely be repeated. It was once commonplace to leave out most repeats of this kind but, more and more, conductors are observing repeats. For me, the first movement of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony sounds incomplete without it. There are repeats in all movements of this Symphony which are sometimes omitted - especially the very long second one in the finale. Beethoven knew what he was doing, I think, so let's hear it all!

glinzek · Answer

Beethoven definitely marked a repeat of the exposition.
One of the reasons some performances skip the repeat is that during the era of vinyl, it was difficult to fit the reapeats of the various movements in the time allotted.  Another reason is that audiences have shorter and shorter attention spans.

I believe I have a recording of Casals performing this live at Tanglewood in which he takes the repeat.  I have not gone around sampling all the recordings out there, so I don't know who does and who doesn't.  I think (not "know") that the Szell recoding with the Cleveland orchestra also takes the repeat -- because he generally takes the repeats with the Brahms symphonies.

Here is a full orchestral score you can look at:
http://imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/a/a8/IMSLP06800-Beethoven_-_Symphony_No.7_Mvt.I__ed._Unger_.pdf

On page 26 (PDF page) you can see the repeat marking.

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Is the exposition on Beethoven's 7th Symphony supposed to repeat?

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