Thin Ice. Concerto for violin and orchestra No. 2

Thin Ice is a four-movement violin concerto built on the contrast between raw energy and the voice of remorse, conscience, or fate.

I. Movement – eruptive joy
II. Movement – suffocating introspection
III. Movement – illusion of freedom
IV. Movement – return of wildness, irreconcilable struggle

In the first movement, playfulness, exuberance, and inexhaustible energy frolic freely. Nothing is taboo: the music rushes forward in a carefree dance, eruptively releasing vitality and drive. Yet beneath the surface, a warning tone begins to grow.
Joy gradually transforms into chaos and madness, ending in a plunge into the abyss.

In the second movement, spontaneity is buried alive – control prevails over freedom. The soloist finds him/herself in an introspective, dark space. The atmosphere is suffocating: the voice of reproach alternates with urgent cries and feigned submission.

The third movement attempts a revolt in a quiet, whispered dance. An illusion of freedom arises – but only an illusion. The weight of guilt repeatedly seeps into the music, interrupting every attempt at return.

In the final movement, carnival joy returns, this time almost violently. The music collides with the crushing force of conscience, standing against the desire to soar into freedom. Defiant high gestures clash with a deep, stern motif. Acceleration and repetition build toward a physical struggle. Two forces that cannot be reconciled - wrestle on thin ice.
Ondrej Adámek