REALITY « drewschnurr.com

Drew Schnurr is a composer, sound artist, and performer from Los Angeles whose work blurs traditional lines in music, media, and sound.

As a composer for media, Drew has produced music and sonic branding for numerous world brands and media conglomerates. He is also an active concert composer and sound artist with a diverse range of international commissions and exhibits.

Revered by his peers, industry professionals, and critics, his work has been called both “rare” and “remarkable.”

“This composer bends and stretches rules within his own aesthetic, weaving his musical ideas in harmonious waves that threaten to drown, yet gently tumble the listener forward with intrigue and anticipation.” -Adam Rosenthal review for Persee: Orchestrated Perception

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Hyperventilations

for Piano with Four Hands [cat. sc26]

Hyperventilations of a Fire Dragon harnesses music from my early career as a performer in latin bands, jazz ensembles, funk bands, and rock and metal bands. The underlying fervency of these influences is felt throughout the work, leveraged by the power and agility of the piano, driving the performance often to the edge of playability. This piece initiates a compositional renaissance, a drilling down into the musical cores of “fire” that constitute the music of my youth. It comes from the gut—quite literally, was breathed into life. The melodic and rhythmic motives are all derived from vocal inflections (and hyperventilations) improvised, recorded, transcribed and re-composed by the composer.

DREW SCHNURR (2015)

Premiered by Vicki Ray and Aaron Kallay — Hear Now Festival, Los Angeles, May 2015.
Video performance by pianists Kookhee Hong and Minji Noh.

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watch HYPERVENTILATIONS

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REALITY

12/14/06

I’ve started reading a blog by Composer Roger Bourland. It is a great example of how blogging can offer real insight into one’s way of thinking. Roger is an interesting guy.

Roger recently posted commentary discussing a study on virtual reality and how it can actually influence real memories. (“Virtual Reality can lead to false memories”) Cool stuff.

I have been thinking about this idea quite a bit lately…that is the notion of reality, and life experience being a choice. It is so much more convenient to believe that we are all merely caught up in the winds of fate, circumstance, and “God’s will.” It allows us to avoid responsibility for our actions and beliefs.

I am often struck by how time sheds light on memories in such a way to completely change my perception of the past. Perspective is everything. I am also increasingly aware of how my own thought patterns reinforce themselves in such a way that makes it easy to believe something that is completely disconnected from reality.

My singer/songwriter friend Tamara Cimmerian has a song she that she sings entitled “No Such Thing.” The chorus of starts out, “Every thought is a prayer…” Well if Tamara and Roger are right, it is wise to be mindful of our thoughts. Reality itself may be at stake.

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