You never forget your first time...

A world premiere performance is a bit of a misnomer, because what that means is the first time a piece has been performed in public. What's really wild is the first time a piece is performed ever, and that's what I got to witness twice last night at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center.

"Istiqbal Gathering" by John Jorgenson and Carl Marsh was rapturous and exotic, as promised by NCO guest/composer/guitar master Jorgenson. "Trishula" by David Balakrishnan is going to be a fantastic showcase for violinist Gilles Apap, who managed to shoot sparks from his instrument, despite a very recent landing from a ten-hour journey from Europe. There were no train wrecks; everyone knew their parts. But we few lucky folks got to see Paul hone in on key phrases and sections from the podium, teasing new ideas and real sound out of two pieces that had heretofore only existed in air as Midi synth-symphonies.

In the midst of it all, I found a few minutes to interview Balakrishnan who spoke about the pice and his now extensive history with the NCO, plus a bit about his main gig, the Turtle Island String Quartet. Paul interviewed Jorgenson about the rig he brings to make his guitar sound great in the SSC. And I had a nice little three-way visit with three members of the NCO string section. All three are going up on the Uncovered site this morning.

Two rehearsals down. Five to go...