Programme notes:

Tereza Jaďuďová (b. 2001)
5 Preludes from Gdańsk (octet version)
Written in 2024-2025

Originally conceived during an Erasmus stay in Gdańsk as a set of five intimate piano miniatures, the 5 Preludes from Gdańsk were revisited two years later in a new form for mixed octet (flute, oboe, clarinet in B♭, bassoon, two violins, viola, cello).

In their new instrumentation, the preludes preserve the introspective spirit of the piano version while gaining a richer palette of timbres. The delicate orchestration highlights the contrasts of colour between winds and strings, often treating the instruments in chamber-like transparency. Each prelude remains a self-contained mood piece—ranging from veiled, mysterious textures to restless rhythmic episodes and flashes of heightened energy—yet together they form a continuous atmospheric arc.

The arrangement does not aim to enlarge the preludes into a bombastic idiom; rather, it reimagines them as poetic “diary entries” in chamber colours, offering the listener a fresh perspective on music inspired by the city and coastline of northern Poland.

Instrumentation:

fl, ob, cl, bsn, 2vln, vla, vlc

Premiere:

28/10/2025, 19:00, Divadlo na Orlí, Brno (Czechia)

BCO – Brno Contemporary Orchestra

Conductor: Pavel Šnajdr