Yes, the flowers of brassias are short-lived compared to a lot of the other popular orchids, even in ideal conditions, for most people. They're wonderful plants and beautiful flowers, though. Two to three weeks for a spike is not uncommon. Depending on the species/hybrid, it can be a little less or a little more, though the overall plant health and flowering environment have more to do with that.
It does sound like your plant in specific might not have lasted as long as it could, but that's to be expected with a new acquisition. Plants go through a lot of environmental stress going from the nursery, to the store, in the store, then to your home, and finally adapting to your home conditions. It's amazing that any survive this process at all.
I can't speak to the assertion that Brassias grow faster than others. Within the oncidium alliance, I'd say they're on average, as fast as any other warm grower. It also would depend on how well your growing conditions match your plant's needs and what species/hybrid you have.
One option for you, if you enjoy Brassia, but prefer longer lived flowers is to look for intergeneric hybrids using brassia as part of the parentage. Brassidiums, some Miltassias (Bratonia), and other more complex intergenerics contain a hefty enough dose of Brassia to maintain the starry shapes, but which have flowers that tend to last longer (sometimes much longer) than a pure brassia would.
Personally, I really enjoy the pure brassias as much as the intergenerics, though I'm a big fan of both. I stick to the smaller growing brassia species and hybrids since I grow under lights. If you like small growers and long petals, you might keep your eyes open for Brassia caudata. It's a pretty adaptable species, with the classic, long pendant petals, and is fairly fragrant. Of course, being a brassia, don't expect the flowers to last months and months on end, but anecdotally speaking, I feel like the flowers last slightly longer than other brassias.
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