Programme notes:

Tereza Jaďuďová (b. 2001)
Cimbalom Rhapsody, Op. 55
Written in 2021

Written as an exploration of folk colour in an orchestral setting, Jaďuďová’s Rhapsody places the cimbalom—an instrument rooted in Central European folk tradition—at the centre of a full symphonic texture. The work integrates the instrument’s distinctive timbre with an orchestra of winds, horns, timpani, percussion, and strings, balancing rustic vitality with refined orchestration.

The opening presents the cimbalom in a lyrical, almost meditative voice, answered by hushed strings and winds. Gradually, the music gains momentum, moving into dance-like episodes that suggest folk rhythms refracted through a concert idiom. Contrasting sections alternate between energetic tutti and more intimate passages in which the cimbalom’s characteristic shimmer comes to the fore.

The central portion expands into a freer, improvisatory character—true to the “folk experiment” subtitle—before building toward a vigorous Friss section. Here, the rhythmic drive and colouristic brilliance reach their height, with cimbalom and orchestra in full interplay.

A quiet coda recalls the reflective mood of the opening, the music fading as if returning to its folk roots, leaving the sound of the cimbalom suspended over soft orchestral textures.

Instrumentation:

2fl, 2ob, 2cl, 2bn, 4hn, timp, 2perc [tgl, cyms, tamb], cimb, str [vln I, vln II, vla, vc, db]