"Drones and Nanorhythms" was composed in December of 2000 for the Solaris wind quintet in residence at the University of Akron. All three movements use a remarkably simple harmonic language whose main characteristic is a slow harmonic rhythm, often with either a pedal-tone or ostinato in the accompaniment, tri-tonal and stepwise modulations, and thematic material which is largely built around the perfect 5th and is at times highly ornate. The opening movement, "Drones and Nanorhythms" (in C) - from which the work gets its name - is in a fast tempo but with a slow introduction which is composed in an pseudo-improvisatory manner utilizing idioms heard in the music of the Balkans. The middle movement, "Quintessence" (in Eb), features the English Horn in place of the Oboe and is built around a simple recurring theme set in a cumulative texture. The finale, "Joy-ride" (in C), is a fast movement with a slower interior which brings back some of the ethnic flavor of the opening movement.
I. Drones and Nanorhythms
II. Quintessence
III. Joy-ride
Total duration of the work is 12 minutes.