Winter Raphaela Gromes

• Florence Price (1887-1953):
• 1 Price: Song for Snow (Arr. for Cello, Piano & Orchestra by Jan-Peter Klöpfel) 02:37
• Ben Palmer (b.1976) , Amy Beach (1867-1944):
• 2 Palmer, Beach: Peace I Leave with You (After 3 Choral Responses, Op. 8: III. Peace I Leave with You) 01:50
• Jan-Peter Klöpfel (N/A), Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750):
• 3 Klöpfel, Bach: Magnificat Variation (After Magnificat in D Major, BWV 243: No. 2, Et Exultavit) 02:10
• Julian Riem (b. 1973), Franz Schubert (1797-1828):
• 4 Riem, Schubert: Sanctus Variation (After Deutsche Messe, D.872: No. 5, Zum Sanctus) 02:45
• Peter Warlock (1894-1930), Gordon Hamilton (b.1982):
• 5 Warlock, Hamilton: Bethlehem Down Variation 03:58
• Anonymous
• 6 Anonymous: The Twelfth Night Song 01:43
• Olivia Belli (N/A):
• 7 Belli: In Luce Gratiae 03:56
• Edward Elgar (1857-1934), Julian Riem (b. 1973):
• 8 Elgar, Riem: The Snow (After 2 Part Songs, Op. 26: No. 1, The Snow) 03:49
• Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179):
• 9 Bingen: O eterne Deus (Arr. for Cello & Orchestra by Jan-Peter Klöpfel) 02:43
• John Rutter (b. 1945):
• 10 Rutter: Christmas Lullaby (Arr. for Cello & Orchestra by Max Knoth) 04:28
• Klöpfle, Händel:
• 11 Klöpfel, Händel: Pifa Variation (After Messiah, HWV 56, Part I: No. 13, Pifa) 02:58
• Annichen Fredrikke Sophie Egeberg (1815–1861):
• 12 Egeberg: Julemorgen (Arr. for Cello & Orchestra by Julian Riem) 02:22
• Anonymous
• 13 Anonymous: In dulci jubilo 01:48
• Max Knoth (b. 1973), Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921):
• 14 Knoth, Saint-Saëns: Alleluja Variation (After Oratorio de Noël, Op.12: No. 8, Alleluja) 02:04
• François Auguste Gevaert (1828-1908):
• 15 Gevaert: Les anges dans nos campagnes (Arr. for Cello & Orchestra by Julian Riem) 02:22
• Mykola Leontovych (1877-1921):
• 16 Leontovych: Shchedryk (Arr. for Cello & Orchestra by Julian Riem) 02:18
• Max Knoth (b. 1973), Richard Strauss (1864-1949):
• 17 Knoth, Strauss: Weihnachtsgefühl Variation (After Weihnachtsgefühl, "Naht die jubelvolle Zeit", TrV198/AV94) 02:01
• Max Reger (1873-1916):
• 18 Reger: Aus der Jugendzeit, Op. 19: No. 9, Weihnachtstraum (Arr. for Cello, Piano & Orchestra by Jan-Peter Klöpfel) 02:10
• Irving Berlin (1888-1989):
• 19 Berlin: White Christmas 03:08
• Meredith Wilson (1902-1984):
• 20 Wilson: It's Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas 02:42
• Franz Xaver Gruber (1787-1863):
• 21 Gruber: Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht (Arr. for Cello, Piano & Saxophone Quartet by Julian Riem) 02:26
• Total Runtime 56:18

Info for Winter

"Winter", the new album by acclaimed cellist Raphaela Gromes. Joined by a remarkable circle of musical collaborators, she creates a richly atmospheric winter world filled with new arrangements, variations and newly created compositions. Moving seamlessly between orchestral colours, chamber music intimacy and personal memories, ‘Winter’ becomes a musical journey through the quiet magic of the darkest season of the year.

Alongside her long-time musical partner Julian Riem, whose contributions as both pianist and arranger have been instrumental in shaping the project, Raphaela Gromes brings together artists who have accompanied her throughout her career. They include the Goldmund Quartet, the SIGNUM saxophone quartet, violinist Eldbjørg Hemsing, and Italian composer and pianist Olivia Belli. For the orchestral recordings, Gromes collaborated with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Gordon Hamilton, whose cinematic orchestral sound lends the album a distinctive atmosphere and sweeping sense of scale.

For many years, winter was the season that Raphaela Gromes would have happily avoided altogether, the only exception being the unique atmosphere of Christmas: the warmth of family gatherings, singing carols together, and the glow of candlelight against the darkness outside – and perhaps most importantly, the Christmas when the four-year-old Raphaela received her very first cello. From these memories, combined with her present-day fascination with winter’s quiet strength, the idea for this new album was born. Her new album ‘Winter’ explores darkness and light, reflection and hope, memories and new encounters. It is an invitation to pause, reflect, and rediscover the extraordinary beauty of a season often overlooked.

"For me, this album is not only about Winter and Christmas. It is about darkness and the light that emerges from it, as well as being about retreat and renewed strength. It also reflects memories and new encounters and the music that brings people together," says Raphaela Gromes.

Musically, ‘Winter’ spans centuries, styles and traditions, bringing together musical heritage from across Europe and North America. Yet rather than presenting familiar repertoire in its original form, the album exclusively features newly created arrangements, variations and compositions. Music by Georg Friedrich Händel, Johann Sebastian Bach, Franz Schubert, Richard Strauss, Camille Saint-Saëns, Edward Elgar and John Rutter appears in new colours, shaped by the creative work of Julian Riem, Jan-Peter Klöpfel, Max Knoth, Gordon Hamilton and Ben Palmer.

Carrying on Gromes’s important work in this field, works by women composers also play a key role throughout the album. Listeners will encounter unique new interpretations of Florence Price's ‘Song for Snow’, Amy Beach's ‘Peace I Leave with You’, Fredrikke Egeberg's ‘Julemorgen’, and Hildegard von Bingen's ‘O eterne Deus’.

A particular thematic focus across the album is the idea of light. This is exemplified by Olivia Belli's shimmering ‘In Luce Gratiae’, a work reflecting on the inner light that emerges and grows in times of darkness. Similarly, the Ukrainian folk song ‘Shchedryk’ stands as a symbol of hope and solidarity. During a recent visit at Christmas time to Kyiv, Raphaela Gromes repeatedly encountered the melody and chose to include it on the album as a musical expression of optimism and human connection.

As a result, ‘Winter’ is far more than a traditional Christmas album. It is a poetic musical journey through snow-covered landscapes, silent nights and festive moments. Filled with the promise of light, warmth, comfort and beauty, it accompanies listeners through the darkest months of the year while reminding us that light often begins precisely where the darkness is deepest.

Raphaela Gromes, cello
Julian Riem, piano
Eldbjörg Hemsing, violin
Olivia Belli, piano
Goldmund Quartet
SIGNUM saxophone quartet
The City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
Gordon Hamilton,conductor

Raphaela Gromes
"I was so impressed listening to the Gromes Riem Duo performing the Debussy Sonata at a master class in Munich recently. Admittedly it is not a natural setting for performance, yet the duo played with great aplomb. But what impressed me most was the obvious wish to communicate the content to their public.

It is their courageous curiosity and energy that impressed me. Their commitment to one another as duo partners for four years is further testimony to their commitment to forge a lasting meaningful musical partnership, and to share their musical discoveries with a larger public.” Yo-Yo Ma, 02/2016

Raphaela Gromes received her first cello lessons at the age of four. Being only seven years old, she already accompanied her parents – both being cellists – on stage. Her solo debut with Friedrich Gulda’s cello concerto in autumn 2005 was highly acclaimed both by the audience and the media. In consequence numerous concerts with the great cello repertory followed.

Various composers have already dedicated cello concertos to her: the world premiere of Dominik Giesriegel’s cello concerto in 2012 was followed by that of Valentin Bachmann’s cello concerto performed by the Philharmonic Orchestra Budweis conducted by David Svec. The third world premiere, the double concerto “Chroma” that Mario Bürki had written for Raphaela Gromes and Cécile Grüebler in 2014, brought her into contact with the Swiss military orchestra. Further on she collaborated with Kent Nagano and the Czech Philharmonic as well as with Christoph Altstaedt and the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn.

Raphaela Gromes was invited to the Jungfrau Music Festival Interlaken, the Vorsprung Festival of the “Audi Summer Concerts” in Ingolstadt, the Munich Opera Festival, the Marvão International Music Festival, the Mondsee Musiktage Festival and the Edinburgh International Festival. In addition to her career as soloist she is also devoted to chamber music. Her chamber music partners are amongst others Christian Altenburger, Isabelle von Keulen, Alexander Lubimov, Patrick Demenga and Mischa Maisky. Together with her duo-partner, the pianist Julian Riem, she regularly gives concerts throughout Germany and abroad.

Her first recordings that were taken with her longtime piano partner Julian Riem, were released by Farao Music in 2014. Since 2016 she is one of SONY Classical exclusive artists. In September 2017 her first SONY-CD with the works of the late Romantic composers Giuseppe Martucci, Leone Sinigaglia, Ferrucio B. Busoni and Mario Castelnuovo, that she recorded with her partner Julian Riem, will be released.

Raphaela Gromes has already won numerous prizes: in 2011 she was awarded the Musikförderpreis des Konzertverein Ingolstadt (young musicians’ scholarship), in 2012 she was first in the Competition Richard Strauss. In 2012 she was granted a scholarship of the Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes (German National Merit Foundation) and has been supported by Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now since then. Furthermore she received the scholarship of the Hans and Eugenia Jütting Foundation Stendal. Raphaela Gromes and her duo cello partner, Cécile Grüebler, received the Förderpreis der Theodor-Rogler-Stiftung Bad Reichenhall (young musicians’ scholarship) in 2014. In 2016 she was first in the cello solo competition of the German Music Council and became one of this year’s young talented musicians who receive special promotion (“Bundesauswahl Junger Solisten”). She was first prize winner of the Kulturkreis-Gasteig competition in 2012 and 2016 and also of the international Concorso Fiorindo Turin in 2013.

Raphaela Gromes is a graduate of the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich where she studied with Wen-Sinn Yang. She started her studies with Reinhard Latzko at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna in 2015/16. She took master classes with well-known cellists like David Geringas, Yo-Yo Ma, Natalia Gutman, László Fenyö, Daniel Müller-Schott, Kristin von der Goltz, Wolfgang Boettcher, Anner Bylsma, Wolfgang Emanuel Schmid and Peter Bruns, who accepted her as junior student from 2006 until 2010 at the University of Music and Theatre “Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy” Leipzig.

Raphaela Gromes’ cello is a Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume instrument of 1855 that is provided by a private benefactor.

Booklet for Winter