Paul, who was just eighteen, had never turned pages before. Oh, certainly, he'd wanted to; indeed, had hinted both to Miss Novotna and Mr Wang, his high school music teacher, how grateful he'd be for the opportunity. Nothing had happened, however, until Judith Schmidt ... who usually took the job decided at the last minute to attend a Shostakovich conference in Arizona. A gap opened up, one that Paul, to his delight, was asked to fill: thus houselights, backstage, the opening of the curtain through which he now glimpsed the immense Steinway, throbbing before a slice of unsettled audience. Beside him Mr Mansourian was giving advice. 'Just have a good time out there' he was saying. 'Only be sure not to turn two pages by mistake. Richard slapped a page turner for that once.'