Programme notes:

Tereza Jaďuďová (b. 2001)
Celebration Waltz, Op. 20
Written in 2016

Written on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the death of Emperor Franz Joseph I (1830–1916), Celebration Waltz is both a nostalgic tribute and a bittersweet farewell to the world of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy.

Blending the elegance of Viennese dance tradition with expressive Romantic harmony, Jaďuďová crafts a waltz that is celebratory in style yet tinged with historical melancholy. The subtitle Viribus Unitis (“With United Forces”)—Franz Joseph’s personal motto—adds symbolic weight to a piece that honors the emperor not only as a historical figure, but as a cultural icon of a vanished era.