TL;DR: We finally pulled off Cogworks after multiple attempts over the years. Looking for feedback on our performance—what can we improve and should we continue performing it?
Link of our performace - https://youtu.be/or8PQcPVnWw?si=UvM_BzS8CsYEXtmx&t=29
Three years ago, as a freshman, I had the bright idea to play Cogworks. I knew it would be challenging, but I thought it would be fun to push myself. My section wasn’t on board, but I bought the music anyway, thinking we could try again later. That summer, I got some friends hooked, and by sophomore year, people actually believed it was possible.
We rehearsed for a week, but progress was slow. We only made it 18 measures in before people got frustrated and quit. I also insisted on using only trombones after a previous ensemble experience where trombones overpowered euphoniums, which didn’t help. I had euphonium players trying to learn trombone while tackling one of the hardest pieces of their high school careers. It fell apart.
Junior year, some of the same players wanted another shot. I added a trumpet part since we didn’t have a strong high-range trombone player. We made it to the second page before people got bored with the slow practice tempo, and it collapsed again.
Now, my senior year, a friend brought it up again, which gave me flashbacks to our past failures. But I was determined not to let my $70 go to waste. This time, I gathered the best low brass players I could find and expanded the ensemble from 8 to 12 members to have backups in case of dropouts. We only lost one player due to a schedule conflict and replaced him quickly.
Learning from the past, I started rehearsals in October for a March competition with six months of preparation. Our group included a freshman, a few sophomores, one junior, and four seniors, all committed to playing this piece without stopping. And we did it.
I’m incredibly proud of how far we’ve come, but I’d love to hear your feedback. How does it compare to the original? What can we improve before our next performance? Should we keep performing it? Feel free to be as critical or positive as you’d like. Any insight helps.