Programme notes:

Tereza Jaďuďová (b. 2001)
Fantasy on Russian Themes, Op. 26
Written in 2018, rev. 2021

Tereza Jaďuďová’s Fantasy on Russian Themes is a large-scale orchestral tribute to the Romanov family, composed in remembrance of the 100th anniversary of their execution in 1918. Written in January 2018, this work marks a personal and artistic milestone for the composer—her first opus magnum. Drawing on over fifty Russian folk songs, the piece explores grief, nostalgia, and reverence with emotional honesty and musical imagination.

The work opens with a fairy tale-like atmosphere, evoking the opulence and innocence of the Romanov era. Yet even from the beginning, there is an undertone of unease—an early sign of the tragedy to come. A waltz based on the Russian song Dark Eyes introduces both lyricism and tension. This motif reappears in transformed guises throughout the piece, symbolizing the fleeting joy and looming fate of the royal family.

As the piece unfolds, Jaďuďová masterfully develops contrasting characters: sorrowful melodies, playful dances, and solemn chorales. Orchestration plays a central role—oboes, horns, and strings often carry the emotional weight, while tutti sections provide dramatic climaxes with brass and percussion. A long Adagio section serves as the heart of the composition, offering peaceful reflection through shifting tonalities and subtle modulations.

A transition into Allegro is handled with grace, followed by an energetic Allegro vivace section full of rhythmic play and conversational exchanges between strings, winds, and brass. Though at times joyful, a shadow remains. The music eventually slows, grows more serious, and leads to a tense culmination.

The final pages are both reverent and haunting. After a brief silence, the Russian Imperial Anthem God Save the Tsar! is introduced by a SATB choir—simple, mysterious, and distant. The anthem is then echoed by the brass, and finally by the full orchestra and choir in a powerful climactic statement. The work ends with four anguished cries of “Tsar!”—a final tribute to a vanished world.

Instrumentation:

picc, 2fl, 2ob, 2cl, 2bn, 4hn, 2tpt, 3trbn, tba, timp, perc [tgl, cyms], hp, ch [SATB], str [16vln I, 14vln II, 12vla, 10vc, 8db]