Playing Possums

A dark depiction of a Gothic horror story, A Frightful Tale is based on a G minor/Eb minor chord sequence which appears throughout the piece in various guises. The opening Appassionato section dramatically announces the main theme followed by the rhythmically relentless Meccanico section. The Espressivo section creates a more reflective, though slightly ominous, mood which gradually builds in intensity to the final declaration of the main motif.

Although not too demanding in a technical sense, this piece does offer a number of challenges to the player. The repeated spiccato passages in the Meccanico section will require good bow control to maintain a constant tempo and unchanging dynamic level. Unprepared modulations and frequent accidentals will present players with an opportunity to broaden their theoretical and aural understanding of intervals and notation. There are position work options throughout, and the triplet string-crossing should give first violins something to think about.

A Frightful Tale was selected as a set work in the 2025 Brisbane Music Fest.