Asventuras for Snare Drum by Alexej Gerassimez

Asventuras (2011)
Alexej Gerassimez (b.1987)
Jonathan Schlitt, snare drum
Asventuras by Alexej Gerassimez is a solo work composed for snare drum in 2011. This piece is unlike many other snare drum solos due to its compositional style and the composer’s incorporation of extended techniques. The word “Asventuras” means “Adventures” in the artificial language Esperanto. The purpose of this solo is to explore many different tones and timbres of a single snare drum by using a combination of sticks, brushes, mallets, and one’s hands. The composer uses a variety of notated symbols to portray different timbres, including playing on the rim, dampening the drum with one’s hand, and clicking sticks together. These are demonstrated as the performer takes the audience on an “adventure” of rhythm, expression, and color.
Alexej Gerassimez is a young German composer and percussionist known for his virtuosic performing. He has won several first place awards in various performance competitions, and he has been a guest soloist with internationally renowned orchestras across Europe. His performance style is inspired by contemporary classical music and jazz, which is evident in both his playing and compositions. Many of Gerassimez’s pieces are characterized by the exploration of rhythmic and acoustic possibilities, as well as novel sounds and the combination of various musical styles.