This short piece compresses a fair amount of material into a brief time span. The nine-bar introduction, Adagio misterioso, sets the stage for the entry of Washington Irving's Headless Horseman, described so vividly in the classic short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and given further life in classic animated films by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks.

Some younger players (and some audience members) have been frightened by the opening bars -- Good! There is drama and excitement in this brief mus...