Reaction to Initial Rehearsals of My Latest Composition
If I hadn't been heavily steeped in the improvising experience I think I might have had a very uncomfortable evening when my latest piece was placed in front of one orchestra I know and love. (I'll leave their name blank because what I have to say could apply to any band whatever their level of ability.)
I am sure other composers go through the same kind of torment when their latest master-work begins to emerge in rehearsal. The difference between the way the piece is imagined and the way it first appears is often very marked. What you wrote might need a reworking if what you hear and what you intended are different.
On the other hand, despite the weaknesses in performance, I find that the players reactions can still be enormously positive even though what was played sounds more improvisational than written.
Listening back to the recording one asks not only just how much more rehearsal will improve the performance plus how much is there still to do in the writing but also how, despite the errors, did it turn out to be so-well received?
There is clearly a kind of perfection of the written material. However, what is remarkable is how an orchestra going through its learning processes for a new work is fascinatingly close to an improvisation.
