Your first time?

Do you remember the first time that you played in a big piece of repertoire in a full-sized orchestra? For me it was Elgar's Overture "Cockaigne" in a city youth orchestra. Now the opening bars are not easy timing and I really wasn't sure that I was getting it right. The conductor was a lovely fellow, but didn't seem to have the clearest of beats. Nonetheless it was gelling slowly and soon we reached one of overture's climaxes and the conductor beamed benignly at us as we put everything into it - woodwind and string tremolando accompanying a full brass section, backed up by a very keen timpanist. Wow! Didn't we feel proud to be producing such a fantastic sound!