An engaging and innovative theme and variations make effective use of the orchestral register of the double bass and there are countless opportunities to explore both technical and musical issues. Most of the technical work is given to the bassist with a simple but strongly supportive piano accompaniment.

“In 1968, at a Summer Music School in Ceské Budjovice, I wrote a free improvisation for guitar which was later developed into a theme (in a minor key) and three variations. The piece was never completed and a few years later I rewrote it for double bass, although much of the original material was discarded at the time.

The original theme, with its subtle Paganini-like style was retained, and new variations were added to utilise the expressive and technical capabilities of the double bass. It also echoes back to the Concert Variations by Frantisek Gregora, and to Zdenk Zouhar’s variations on the song Underneath the Oak Tree, composed in 1970 and used in Professor Zouhar’s composition classes at the Janácek Academy of Music in Brno.

The present edition of Variations evolved from the 1973 version. It was written to provide challenging repertoire for the intermediate bassist combining both musical and technical demands in equal measure.” [Miloslav Gajdos, 2002]

The edition includes piano accompaniments for both solo and orchestral tunings.