Deep Song is a work I composed for the violist Paul Cortese a year ago. It’s a ten minute piece for viola solo and 2-channel fixed audio. I’ve known Paul since college days when he was also a great violist. He is currently living in Barcelona, Spain.

The work is based on various sound sources found in flamenco music including a commonly used scale, some rhythmic patterns, recorded hand claps, finger snaps, and foot stomps. The recorded sounds have been processed in various ways to give a greater acoustical depth to the music.

You can get an idea of the piece by the words I use to describe the sections of the piece, Fiery, Impassionedly and Agitato. The music also feels as if it is improvised. Here is the opening,

Flamenco is improvised music and it is that characteristic that I wanted to capture in the piece.

Paul’s recording of Deep Song will be available on October 9, 2026 on all streaming platforms.