Was Adolphe Sax a cheat, liar and thief. Was his invention, the saxophone, nothing more than an ill wind, cursed, the evil concoction of a charlatan? It seems that he had many enemies in the world of 19th Century instrument-making who thought so and to such an extent that he spent his life desperately trying to survive everything from their lawsuits, industrial espionage and enforced bankruptcies to bomb plots and assassination attempts. Here, the story of both the man and his relationship with his invention is told in a way that reflects the tightrope he walked between glory and madness. First broadcast as a BBC Radio 3 drama, THE GOLDEN DEMON is a vividly drawn, poignant tale of an extraordinary man and a unique instrument.