It starts with a harp solo because the first scene in my opera is a tranquil wedding and because it’s a Greek myth, I felt that harps would be the most fitting instrument to represent peace and marriage. The last note of the harp section was supposed to represent the golden apple being thrown into the wedding hall. Then the string ensemble represents the wedding guests talking and gossiping about it, and the piccolos that interject are supposed to represent the laughter of Eris, the goddess of chaos.  Then we hear the entrance of the three main goddesses (Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera) and they start to argue about who should get the apple.  It starts with Aphrodite who is represented by flutes, followed by Athena who is oboes. Had I written Hera’s part, she would have been represented by violas.