New Release by Raphaela Gromes - “Fortissima!”

“Fortissima!” – A jubilant, musical outcry for the forgotten heroines of music history

Bringing this project to life was a passionate mission for Raphaela Gromes.

She is not only an exceptional cellist but also a passionate musical trailblazer. With Fortissima, she opens a new chapter in her artistic mission – and does so twice: the non-fiction book (Goldmann Verlag) was published on September 10, 2025, and the new double album (Sony Classical) was released on September 12, 2025. Together, the album and book form a unique masterpiece of music and text that finally gives long-forgotten female composers the attention they deserve.

Her acclaimed number 1 album “Femmes” (2023) delighted a wide audience with a musical kaleidoscope of female composers from the Baroque to the present day. Now Raphaela Gromes is continuing this success story with the double album “Fortissima” - and going one step further: this time the focus is not on miniatures, but on major works - sonatas, concertos, orchestral pieces - by female artists that music history has unjustly forgotten.

With a tireless spirit of exploration, Gromes, together with her long-time piano partner Julian Riem and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin under the direction of Anna Rakitina, has created an album that is as musically impressive as it is emotionally stirring.

"During my training, I never came into contact with female role models. For a long time, I thought they hardly existed," says Gromes. “It was only when I was researching for ‘Femmes’ and ”Fortissima" that I realized how many outstanding female composers there were - they were just systematically ignored. Their music is often breathtakingly good. I want to pass this knowledge on - to young female musicians, to the public, to the world."

CD 1 (with Julian Riem, piano)
1. – 4. Henriëtte Bosmans: Cello Sonata in A Minor
5. Victoria Yagling: Larghetto
6. – 9. Emilie Mayer: Cello Sonata in A Major
10. Mélanie Bonis: Méditation
11. – 13. Luise Adolpha Le Beau: Cello Sonata in D Major, op. 17
Bonus: 14. Adele: All I ask

Part 1 of “Fortissima” combines touching and virtuoso works for cello and piano - by Henriëtte Bosmans, Victoria Yagling, Emilie Mayer, Mélanie Bonis and Luise Adolpha Le Beau, among others. The program is complemented by an intimate arrangement of Adele's “All I Ask”, which builds a bridge to the present day.

CD 2 (with Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, conductor: Anna Rakitina)
1. – 4. Marie Jaëll: Cello Concerto in F Major
5.-11. Maria Herz: Cello Concerto Op. 10
12. Elisabeth Kuyper: Ballad for Cello and Orchestra, op. 11
13. Rebecca Dale: Femmage I - She Walks Through History  
14. Rebecca Dale: Femmage II - Meditation for Cello & Orchestra
Bonus: 15. P!NK: “Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken”

In the second part, the stage opens up for the orchestra. The focus is on great works such as the almost forgotten cello concerto by the German-Jewish composer Maria Herz, which was deprived of its premiere and due recognition in Germany during the National Socialist era. There will also be a world premiere recording of a ballad for cello and orchestra by Elisabeth Kuyper. Further highlights: Probably the first cello concerto by a woman by Saint-Saëns' pupil Marie Jaëll, whose underestimated talent was already described by Franz Liszt in a letter as follows: “A man's name above your music and it would be on all pianos”. Rebecca Dale's orchestral work “Femmage”, on the other hand, was even written especially for Gromes. The crowning finale: an orchestral cover of P!NK's empowering anthem “Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken”.

Many of the works on “Fortissima” would probably never have seen the light of day without Raphaela Gromes and Julian Riem. Such as the highly emotional, rediscovered second movement of Marie Jaëll's Cello Concerto and the Ballade by Elisabeth Kuyper, which Julian Riem had to reconstruct and rearrange from a piano reduction because an orchestral version no longer existed.

The book “Fortissima!”, a literary treasure hunt for the biographies of the female composers whose works Gromes has recorded for the album, is being published by Goldmann Verlag to coincide with the album. Together with musicologist Susanne Wosnitzka, who has been researching women composers for over 20 years, the award-winning cellist embarks on a journey through music history - always on the trail of women whose creative achievements have often remained invisible.

Who were Henriëtte Bosmans, Luise Adolpha Le Beau and Maria Herz? How did they live, how did they compose? Why were they erased from the canon despite their impressive works - and what does this say about our cultural memory? Gromes provides personal, knowledgeable and often moving answers - underpinned by insights into her own life as a musician and her journey of discovery to these long-ignored voices.

The globally acclaimed musician writes with heart, mind and the keen eye of an artist who knows the stage - and is herself part of a system that often shifts the focus away from women. In her book, she opens the door to a world in which women have always composed, but rarely found recognition. She tells of formative encounters, absurd anecdotes and the painful realization that even a music degree hardly sheds light on the rich tradition of female composition.

The book is no boring anthology, but a passionate call to curiosity with a clear message: female composers belong on the stage - and in our hearts. And another thing becomes clear while reading: female composers are addictive.