The Pacifica Quartet gave a fabulous New York premiere of Shulamit Ran's Glitter Doom Shards Memory on Friday at CMS.

We couldn't have been more pleased with the entire evening – it was wonderful having a former CMS Two ensemble back in Alice Tully Hall, performing a work that Music Accord should be extremely proud to have made possible. The piece is a great example of Shulamit's famously clear and immediate voice, as well as her exquisite craftsmanship.

She made fabulous use of the string quartet ensemble to relate the experience of painter Felix Nussbaum, as well as the universal experience of the Holocaust. The piece ranged from tender and sonorous to haunting, with a menacing scherzo that tips its hat to Shostakovich. The audience responded with thunderous applause for the Pacifica's performance and a standing ovation for Shulamit. Great to see.

Prior to the concert, Shulamit had joined me for a pre-concert talk about the piece and she offered a fascinating account Nussbaum's story, her own compositional priorities, and the story of how this piece came to being. She's an extremely articulate speaker, with skills undoubtedly honed during all her years in residence with The Chicago Symphony, and anyone planning a future performance of the piece would be well-served to have her with them.

This piece going to have a long life, no question.