A Composer's Tale

A 9-minute piece for the L'histoire du soldat ensemble (clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, percussion, violin and doublebass).
 
A Composer's Tale was written for a concert that included Stravinsky’s A Soldier’s Tale and selections from Wynton Marsalis’ A Fiddler’s Tale. It is my homage to the music of Stravinsky. It is also a tongue-in-cheek look at the career path of a naive young composer. Each movement’s title is self-explanatory:
Moment of inspiration - a musical idea appears to our hero.
Hours of frenzy, days of drudgery - our hero frantically works with the musical idea.
Dreams of fame, fortune and immortality - our hero sets down the pen to contemplate the future.
Premier - reality hits.
Rejection...which results in years of bitterness and despondency (in other words, time for a waltz, tango and a slow march!) - our hero reflects upon his/her current situation, asking if Hope will ever Spring Eternal.