Julia Thomsen and Raphael Beaudon, “Meet You In Nottinghill” – New Music

Guide

“Meet You In Notting Hill” opens like a conversation between two people who already trust each other completely, even though this is technically the first time Julia Thomsen and Raphael Beaudon have written something together. You would not guess that from listening. The piano and strings move like they have been finishing each other’s sentences for years.

Beaudon Takes the Lead

Beaudon takes the lead on piano here, and it shows in the phrasing. Every pause feels considered rather than accidental. Thomsen, usually the one carrying the piano parts in her own work, steps back this time and lets her strings do something quieter and more supportive. She wraps around his melody instead of competing with it, adding warmth without pulling focus. It is a generous kind of playing, the sort that only works when both musicians actually listen to each other.

Space and Patience

The piece trusts silence as much as sound, letting notes hang in the air long enough to mean something before the next phrase arrives. That patience gives the whole track a cinematic quality, the kind of music that could sit under a slow pan across a rainy London street, though it never feels like it is chasing that comparison on purpose.

Julia’s Perspective

Julia mentioned that the roles felt reversed for her on this one, saying it is usually her doing most of the piano work, but this time she was happy to add her touch to something Beaudon led. You can hear that shift in the finished piece. A looseness runs through her arrangement, like she wrote it in response to what he gave her rather than planning it out in advance.