Memory of a Tango is a miniature for solo double bass, but its brevity gives the work its particular force. It feels less like a full dance than the trace of one: something remembered, half-heard and carried in the body.

The double bass brings weight and intimacy to the tango idea. Its low register allows the music to speak with a veiled darkness, while its singing upper range can suggest nostalgia, distance and fragility.

As an encore, the work is direct and concentrated. It does not need a large form to establish atmosphere; the title alone opens a world of rhythm, memory and lost motion.

• Form Encore piece.
• Duration Approximately 2 minutes.
• Forces Solo double bass.

Memory of a Tango was commissioned by Rafael Agudelo.

The first performance took place on 17 August 2002 in New York, performed by Rafael Agudelo.

The double bass is often associated with foundation, pulse and depth, but in Memory of a Tango it becomes a solo voice of memory and atmosphere.

The piece belongs to Auerbach’s group of short unaccompanied solo works, where a single instrument is asked to carry the full emotional space of the music.

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