Raphaela Gromes Acclaimed with the Niederrheinische Sinfoniker

On 21, 22 and 23 October 2026, cellist Raphaela Gromes performed with the Niederrheinische Sinfoniker under the direction of Mihkel Kütson in Mönchengladbach and Krefeld. As part of the second symphony concert of the season, entitled “Im Schatten der Macht” (“In the Shadow of Power”), she performed Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme and the Cello Concerto by composer Maria Herz (1878–1950).

Particular attention was given to Maria Herz’s rarely performed Cello Concerto, which is believed to have been composed around 1930. Through her interpretation, Gromes contributed to the rediscovery of the work. Her performances of both compositions received extensive praise in the regional press.

Helmut Klösges wrote in the Rheinische Post Mönchengladbach on 24/25 October 2026:

“The young Munich-born soloist mastered them [Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations] with breathtaking assurance.”

“Her cantilenas sang with wonderful freedom and warmth, while even the most demanding technical challenges appeared effortless.”

“In this work, too [Maria Herz’s Cello Concerto], Raphaela Gromes proved herself an interpreter of impressive mastery.”

Günter Schultz wrote in the Westdeutsche Zeitung on 26 October 2026:

“The outstanding soloist Raphaela Gromes, born in Munich, is a creative artist who has made a name for herself on the music scene through concerts, CD recordings and awards such as the Opus Klassik, Diapason d’Or and the German Record Critics’ Award.”

“She presented this work, conceived in a playful Rococo style, with a refined, lively and cheerful musical language, its supple melismas at times joyful, at times contemplative, always artfully accompanied by Kütson’s sensitively performing orchestra.”

“Moving between major-minor tonality and free tonality, with late-Romantic and Impressionist characteristics and interesting solo cadenzas, impressively performed by Gromes, the music leaves the listener curious to discover what else by this German composer [Maria Herz] may yet be brought to light.”

Heide Oehmen wrote in the Rheinische Post Krefeld on 26 October 2026:

“The remarkably youthful-looking master of her Carlo Bergonzi cello, with its intensely singing, almost otherworldly sound, explored the theme and variations of this virtuosic work [Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations] with buoyancy and attention to even the smallest nuances.”

“Gromes, whose physical strength is as admirable as her musicianship and her formidable technical ability, always employed purposefully and unobtrusively, presented a completely unknown Cello Concerto, probably composed around 1930 by the once well-known pianist and composer Maria Herz (1878–1950).”

“In Krefeld, too, she conveyed both the passages tinged with melancholy and those charged with rhythmic tension, the lyrical interludes as well as the dialogues with the woodwinds and violins, with the full range of her expressive power – all the while with a smile on her face.”