See Tom's interview with critic Dan Kepl on Performing Arts Review.
Reviews of Works
by Tom Schnauber
“Exciting, lyrical, idiomatic, musical, prickly-yet-accessible, and supremely crafted throughout . . . far superior than 99% of string orchestra stuff I've heard in many years.”
—Lansing McLoskey, Composer
“If you thought Bartók wrote effective ‘night’ music, you haven’t heard anything until you’ve auditioned this work!”
—David DeBoor Canfield (Fanfare Magazine)
“The first [setting of Disillusionment of 10 OClock] was Tom Schnauber’s, which begins with two dissonant notes that get progressively louder, until a haunting ending. It seemed perfect; no more settings were needed . . .”
—Susan Miren
Boston Musical Intelligencer
“[In Memory of Henri Temianka] began and ended with a whisper, while in between, a repetitive mournful phrase was overcome by the wailing of violins. It’s a powerful piece . . . ”
—Mathew Palm,
Orlando Sentinel
“Eclectic and intriguing.”
—Joseph Summer, Composer
“I listened to your CD Death and Waltzes and was totally amazed at what a truly emotional composer you have become . . . the first few pieces are full of anguish . . . and mystery, as well as an eerie-ness that really grabs the listener. . . . Then the change in pace and mood in [Ziegenfuβtanz] was really terrific, a fun piece, lustig and ‘waltzy.’”
—Barbara Zeisl Schoenberg
“. . . captivatingly beautiful and powerfully dissonant, but always interesting and challenging.”
—Random Amazon.com Customer
“In this setting [of Harlem], the poet’s series of questions can be heard as rhetorical, as if Socrates himself is posing them to his students and charging them to find their own answers.”
—Deyan Gerogiev
American University in Bulgaria Newsletter
“This fresh, often seemingly deconstructed music was surprisingly melodic, revealing fascinating colors . . . that seemed filled with joy.”
—Baltimore Sun
On Alba and Ostinato
“. . . Schnauber pushed the limits of the tonal language of the movement, stretching A major to near breaking point, while experimenting with blending colors . . .”
—Ian Wiese
Boston Musical Intelligencer
“A brilliant and beautifully crafted set of pieces!”
—Kevin Korsyn, Composer and Theorist
On Death and Waltzes
“I suspect the involvement of alcohol.”
—Colin Clarke
Fanafare Magazine