Thanks so much for listening and sharing your thoughts, Paul and Jasen.
Paul, it actually did start as a single movement. I decided to add the second movement a few days later and create that whole "Pathos and Rapture" dichotomy. Most people that commented on the piece here and elsewhere suggested they preferred the second movement, but of course, asking me to choose one over the other (or, remove a movement now that it's already written) would be like picking between children. Our music is so personal and while I don't love all my pieces equally, I couldn't bring myself to toss part of a complete work. The nice thing about multi-movement works is that they can be enjoyed complete, but as often happens with virtually all classical music, people have their favourite movements (to refer to your recent Dvorak, I like the 2nd movement, as with the Grieg Piano Concerto...whereas I've never gone past the opening movement of Haydn's Symphony 56).
Jasen, you have a way with words! I really do like to tell stories through a piece, and create a natural flow through the various ideas...sometimes it's unified with a tight/formal structure, whereas often, I prefer the "through-composed" approach (obviously not referring to the artsong application of the term but borrowing it to explain the way I write instrumental music). Anyway, I'm glad you gave it a listen, or just parts thereof. If you sip on espressos, perhaps you'll get through the whole piece over the course of a week's worth of shots :) lol
Yeah, about the whole "discovered after you're dead" thing, I'm starting to coin a phrase to serve as my mission statement: "Lay the groundwork now for the fame that will follow in 200 years."
All the best,
Dave