Sonata for Soprano Saxophone and Piano (2019)

Instrumentation: Soprano Saxophone & Piano

Difficulty: Advanced

Duration: 12’

Performance Materials: $18.00

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Commissioned by George Rosas

I was first approached to compose my sonata for soprano saxophone in March of 2019 by George Rosas, directly after the premiere of my saxophone duet Mirror Images, also commissioned by Rosas. He came to me with the idea of a four movement work depicting the city of Tucson, and the variety of images one sees when looking at it in different directions. Tucson is a bit of an acquired taste; there is so much life and color to it, but it has a lot of grit as well. I wanted to depict both the majestic beauty of the nature surrounding the city and some of the more… frustrating aspects to it as well.

The first movement depicts the mountains in the north of Tucson, and has a majestic, almost magical quality. The second is a tongue-in-cheek rondo meant to represent the traffic and frustration I associate with driving to my favorite coffee shop (where I do most of my composing) east of my house in Tucson. The third movement looks to the west, and the incredible sunsets which turn the entire sky orange. This movement uses one main musical idea which is stated with different harmonies accompanying it, representing the way the buildings seem to change and take on a new life in the glow of the sunset. And the final movement, Nightlife, is an energetic closing which borrows from several genres and depicts Downtown Tucson, south of the U of A campus. 

Audio from the world premiere on November 2, 2019; George Rosas, Saxophone and Marie Sierra, Piano