Sonata for Saxophone and Piano enters the chamber-sonata tradition through an instrument whose vocal quality can turn rapidly from lyric speech to pressure, shadow, and lament. The result is not a display piece but a concentrated dramatic exchange.

The four movements create a progression from freer, brooding space into lament, motion, and a final return to expressive openness. The saxophone and piano are treated as equal protagonists: one voice breathing and bending, the other giving weight, resonance, and architecture.

• Form Four-movement sonata.
• Forces Alto saxophone and piano.
• Premiere Artists Andreas Mader and Joseph Moog.

The sonata was commissioned for Andreas Mader as part of his Naumburg award. Its premiere places the work within a lineage of major chamber commissions supported by the Walter W. Naumburg Foundation, while also expanding Auerbach’s catalogue of saxophone works into a substantial duo form.

The work’s expressive world is described by the publisher’s programme note as tragic and oppressive, with density, intensity, and rich overtones presenting a significant challenge for performers.

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