Thanks Paul and Jos for adding your thought-provoking ideas to the conversation.
Paul, I am in complete agreement with everything you wrote.
I was present at the performance, in front of an intimate audience of 30-40 people (the space is a multidisciplinary performance/art studio converted from a commercial loft/garage facility (quite nice actually, in spite of how it sounds!) The recording itself was simply done with a Zoom Q4 handy cam (video is not great, but it is a decent stereo mic offering uncompressed wav recordings)
The musicians purchased the score and chose to perform the piece after hearing the VSL recording. So, there is no question that they were aware of my intended "musical gestures" etc. That's not to say that my vision for the piece is the only acceptable one; far from it! I was looking forward to hearing their take on it. However, when the piece is played 30% below the indicated tempo markings, and when the piece by it's very title implies a rapid, fast-paced piece, I feel that such an interpretation completely fails to meet the intended overall aesthetic.
As I sat there listening, I was literally shifting uncomfortably in my seat. I had so looked forward to hearing the live performance, especially in light of the amount of time I spend working with samples. What's worse, is that the audience kept looking toward me for any hint of reaction during the performance (as audiences are apt to do...they're taking their cues as to whether or not the music is being performed well from the composer rather than their own musical sensibilities, which admitedly, many don't possess due to limited exposure). After the piece concluded, the cellist actually asked me in front of the audience if the performance met with my expectations, to which I politely smiled, focussed on some of the positives and then simply said, "it might be taken a smidge faster." Everybody laughed and the concert proceeded. It's funny, because now that I think of it, the cellist expressly mentioned that they had chosen not to consult me during the learning process. I think now, that they were not convinced they could play the piece at the appropriate tempo, and rather than ask me to attend a rehearsal and obligate them to playing it faster, they took the approach of "play it at our tempo and apologize after the fact."
To those suggesting they prefer the live performance, all I can say is, I am not in agreement. I'm a performer first, but viewing this with my composition hat on, I fail to sympathise with the performers choosing to so blatantly disregard the indicated tempo markings in the score, as well as the VSL recording. I can forgive wrong notes (painful as they may be such as the chromatically descending figure in the violin at the very end of the piece that was "missed"). I welcome beautiful cadence points where the ensemble "breathes in unison". I also welcome the natural rubato and espressivo playing at certain points that makes the music sing. But, when the overall piece is performed so slow that the very essence of it's character is completely transformed, then I'd rather have my VSL version. I will also admit that being that live performances are so few and far between, I might have put more expectations on the quality of the performance than I should have. Maybe, to that end, we can appreciate our virtual instruments even more, knowing that they allow us to put the required time in to crafting a vision of our music that meets our expectations.
To those that prefer the live version, I would simply ask you this: If, as a composer, you were presenting ONE performance of the above piece (either the live or the VSL version) on your website to showcase your music, which would you choose?
Would love to hear additional thoughts from others!
Dave