Nico
Muhly,

Drones & Viola was written for Thomas Bartlett and Nadia Sirota in 2011. Each movement begins with either the piano or viola establishing a drone which lasts for the duration of the movement. The first bar of each movement can be quite long. The drone should remain loosely indifferent to the other part, avoiding any overly dramatic commentary. That having been said, the droning player should feel free to subtly and constantly change the nature of the sound. Rests are meant to be played freely, expanding and contracting as the spirit moves the soloists, but the notes should be played in relatively even time. The space between the movements can work either with very short pauses or with no pauses at all; this is left up to the discretion of the performers.