Many musicians dream of making a record with a symphony orchestra, but few can afford to make it happen. Thanks to his extraordinary ability to compose melodies that stick in the minds of his listeners, and because he has patiently played these compositions on stage for years to the point where they are practically a part of him, Avishai Cohen was well prepared to realize such a goal. As Cohen himself notes, his songs seem predisposed to being adapted on an orchestral scale, and the fact that they retain the same intensity that has inspired such widespread admiration shows the power of his music. Avishai Cohen had been dreaming of this experience for over a decade. Two Roses is the result of a long process. Through his trio and collaboration with the Gothenburg Symphony under the direction of Alexander Hanson, Cohen proves that this foray into classical music was not a fleeting whim, but rather a sincere expression of his desire to remain free from the confines of "genre" - a term he admittedly detests. Cohen's music is an intricate tapestry of global and historical influences. A master of Afro-Caribbean music, Cohen has absorbed its complexity to the point that it has a lasting influence on the rhythmic designs he creates for his trio, and on his musical contemporaries. "Playing and singing your own music with a symphony orchestra is special; it's an experience that's as powerful as it is specific," Cohen says. Cohen has not embarked on this adventure alone. His trusted trio includes two musicians for whom he is full of praise. Azerbaijani pianist Elchin Shirinov, who was featured on Cohen's previous record Arvoles, plays with poetry and precision. And New Jersey-born drummer Mark Guiliana, with whom Cohen revolutionized the trio approach in the 2000s, maintains the groove and rhythmic sharpness specific to Cohen's music. And, of course, there are the 92 gifted men and women of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. "An orchestra has its own rhythm," he explains. "Of course, 92 people don't play a beat like two or three people. There's a kind of inertia that you have to get used to, and you have to understand how they breathe. It's like a horse, beautiful, powerful and delicate at the same time. When you listen to this record, it feels like you're going on a journey, immersing yourself in my world, in a deeper and denser way," he says. On Two Roses, the only thing that counts is the performance, the emotion and the personal expression of a citizen of the world who sees in music his only true home.