You will find here below some information (including videos) regarding my collaboration with Max Wilson (www.maxwilsoncomposer.com) and the release of our new CD “Behind the Horizon” on the 20th July 2026.
The story about the album:
Around 2018, Max invited me to his home for a recording session — he needed some violin for one of his albums. The session went well, and we connected instantly. We decided to meet at least once a month to explore free improvisation, and a genuine friendship grew from there. These meetings, held near Kew Gardens, continued for about five or six years.
Max studied composition at the Royal Academy of Music with Steve Martland, alongside classes there in improvisation with Neil Heyde and jazz piano with Dominic Alldis. My own roots were in classical music. I also studied free improvisation with Garrett List and developed a deep appreciation for folk traditions and world music.
During our sessions, Max and I set very few rules. I played mostly violin, Max played piano, and we explored free improvisation together — occasionally adding solo pieces and even four-hand piano works.
At times, our sessions felt a bit like music therapy. We would often begin by talking at length about our personal lives, our experiences, and the things we were going through. Then we would play and improvise freely, as though those deep conversations could somehow transform themselves into sound.
We frequently started in silence, slowing down and settling into the present moment. At times, we would even turn off all the lights to let the music unfold in complete darkness. The notes would then become like a river of sound, blending both light and dark, opening up a new sense of hope, possibilities, and wholeness.
Many of our sessions had been recorded using basic equipment, but after 26 years in London, as I prepared to leave for Belgium, I felt the time had come to celebrate our friendship and artistic journey with a professional recording.
In April 2024, we booked Last Eight Studios in Hackney, where all the tracks on the album were recorded during two half-day sessions. The mixing, mastering, track selection, and final details took more than two years to complete — but today, we are truly proud to share this album with the world.
Elphara