Raphaela Gromes Enchants with a Magical Winter Soundscape
On November 6, Sony Classical will release ‘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.
‘Winter’ will be released on November 6 via Sony Classical on CD, as well as digitally in stereo and the immersive audio format Dolby Atmos.