Programme notes:

Tereza Jaďuďová (b. 2001)
3 Variants, Op. 47
Written in 2020

Subtitled “Just an experiment”, Jaďuďová’s 3 Variants for baritone and string quartet set three poems by Boris Pasternak. The cycle explores different facets of text setting and instrumental colour, with the baritone voice moving fluidly between declamation and lyrical line, supported by the changing textures of the quartet.

I. 
Opening Adagio molto, the first setting unfolds in a slow, atmospheric texture. The baritone’s line is intimate, coloured by soft dynamics in the strings. The writing focuses on fine detail in text delivery and instrumental shading.

II. 
Marked Andante con moto, the second variant contrasts flowing vocal writing with more rhythmically driven string parts. The texture alternates between sustained sonorities and more animated passages, matching the poem’s changing imagery.

III. 
The final variant, Poco Andante, moves with quiet persistence. The baritone’s phrases are set against delicate, sometimes pizzicato textures in the quartet. The movement builds in intensity before returning to a more restrained conclusion, closing the cycle with understated finality.