Raphaela Gromes presents a stirring and emotional album “Dvořák: Cello Concerto” with the Ukrainian National Orchestra
Dvořák's cello concerto & contemporary works by Ukrainian composers as a guide to humanity and hope
Release on 13.09.2024 by Sony Classical
What began in December 2023 with a concert in Kyiv (Kiev) as a sign of solidarity manifests itself in the release of the new album by world-class German cellist Raphaela Gromes with the Ukrainian National Orchestra under the direction of chief conductor Volodymyr Sirenko on Sony Classical on September 13, 2024.
The focus of this moving recording is Antonín Dvořák's famous Cello Concerto, which is framed by haunting works by contemporary Ukrainian composers Hanna Hawrylets, Valentyn Sylvestrov, Yuri Shevchenko and Stepan Charnetskys. The unprecedented selection of pieces alone impressively reflects the two main impulses for this special album: artistic passion and a deep connection with Ukraine.
It was precisely this that gave Raphaela Gromes the desire to travel to the Ukrainian capital during the Russian war of aggression in order to give the people there comfort and confidence with a concert. Raphaela's choice almost naturally fell on Dvořák's cello concerto, one of the most profound, stirring and radiant of its kind:
“It's considered THE cello concerto par excellence, and it is for me too,” says the Munich native. “Even as a child, I listened to the work on an endless loop. (...) The long and very special coda is a wide-ranging swan song that points beyond life into transcendence, bringing light and liberation. The range of emotions in this concerto is enormous: youthful, heroic radiance and freshness, yearning love, solidarity, deep pain, redemption at the end. If there is one work that manages to shed a little light even in the darkest times, it is this one.”
The live performance with the Ukrainian National Orchestra demonstrated this impressively and exceeded all expectations in its emotional impact. Moved by the intimate music-making together, Raphaela Gromes decided without further ado to continue the collaboration with an album recording. This was originally scheduled to take place in Kiev, but was moved to Poland as Raphaela Gromes' rare Bergonzi cello is not insured in the Ukraine.
Despite all the hurdles, the cellist, who is world-famous for her emotional depth and richly nuanced tonal palette, now presents her first, completely original recording of the great Dvořák work, which always seeks to be as close as possible to the composer's intentions: “We took an unusually long time to rehearse and record in order to produce a joint result that adheres exactly to Dvořák's musical text and his often rather brisk tempo specifications,” Raphaela Gromes looks back. “Nowadays, the autograph of the work is easy to consult and some of the dynamic markings, rhythms, articulations and even notes are clearly different from what I remember from various recordings. To be faithful to this text, to convey Dvořák's idea of his music and to sing the beautiful melodies and virtuoso passages in great coherence and flowing simplicity - that was our great concern with this recording.”
By including Ukrainian music in her album repertoire, the exceptional musician is also sending a strong signal of solidarity and compassion. In selected works, she lets her cello sing and pray - as in Walentyn Sylwestrow's “Prayer for Ukraine”, whose breathtaking effect Raphaela was able to experience at first hand during her concert in Kyiv: “It was a prayer for the future of Ukraine that was felt throughout the hall! Everyone held their breath while we played, many cried, including the musicians on stage. Afterwards, we experienced overwhelming reactions from the audience: people showered me with gifts. One soldier gave me his badge and said: “This is to protect you.” The subsequent recording of the piece was one of the most emotional musical moments of my life”.
Hanna Hawrylets (“Tropar, prayer to the holy mother of God”) is also represented on the album, a composer for whom the passing on and continuation of Ukrainian heritage, which was endangered by the war, was always extremely important. She died of acute heart failure on the fourth day of the Russian war of aggression, unable to receive medical treatment quickly enough due to the war situation. Hawrylets left behind many unfinished works.
Raphaela Gromes also chose “We are”, Jury Shevchenko's emotional version of the Ukrainian national anthem, for the album. The composer, who also died shortly after the start of the war, wanted his anthem to resound around the world as a silent prayer for Ukraine. The inclusion of the song “Chervona Kalyna” by Stepan Charnetskyi as a symbol of hope and victory rounds off the emotional and powerful program of the album.
“My heart will always remain open to Ukraine!”, Raphaela Gromes recently said in an interview - and you can feel and hear this in every single note.
Discover the first single
TOUR 2024
Raphaela Gromes & National State Symphony Orchestra of the Ukraine
(Conductor: Volodymyr Sirenko)
13. November 2024 – Ludwigshafen, BASF Feierabendhaus
14. November 2024 – Berlin, Philharmonie
17.November 2024 – Essen, Philharmonie
18. November 2024 – Antwerpen, Queen Elisabeth Hall
19. November 2024 – Hamburg, Elbphilharmonie
21. November 2024 – Vaduz, Vaduzer-Saal
24. & 25. November 2024 – München, Prinzregententheater
26. November 2024 – Ingolstadt, Stadttheater
28. November 2024 – Zug, Theater Casino Zug