On November 3, Das Blaue Sofa takes a musical turn at the Theater Gütersloh. Celebrated star cellist Raphaela Gromes will present her book »Fortissima!« (Goldmann) – a passionate tribute to forgotten women composers throughout music history. Together with musicologist Susanne Wosnitzka, she embarks on a fascinating journey of discovery, tracing the lives and works of artists such as Amy Beach, Florence Price, and Henriëtte Bosmans, whose contributions have long remained in the shadows.
In conversation, Gromes offers profound insights into her research and her own life as a musician. The evening will also feature readings from the book and live cello and piano performances, offering a multifaceted look into the lives and legacies of the featured composers.
Raphaela Gromes is a famous cellist, and has been Sony Classical’s artist in residence since 2016. Every single one of her albums has reached the top 10 of the German classical music charts, and she has won among others the German Album Critics Prize, the Opus Klassis prize and the Diapason d'Or. She regularly plays Europe’s biggest concert stages, and is a popular talk show guest. On her 2023 album »Femmes«, she interprets the work of 23 female composers across music history. The follow-up album will be released by Sony in September 2025. Like the book, it is titled »Fortissima!«.
© Gregor Hohenberg
Goldmann
If you ask people to name their favourite female classical composer, you’ll most likely encounter a resounding silence. Star cellist Raphaela Gromes wants to change that – and in »Fortissima!«, she and musicologist Susanne Wosnitzka embark on a voyage of discovery to bring music history’s underappreciated heroines into the light.
So who were Amy Beach, Florence Price and Henriëtte Bosmans? What were the lives of these now forgotten women like, as they fought ceaselessly for their creativity and freedom? Did they compose differently from their male colleagues? And what can we learn from them today?
These are just some of the questions answered in this passionate blend of expert knowledge and personal insights into Gromes’s own life as a musician. »Fortissima!« is a truly female history of classical music that charms and delights as it introduces us to these extraordinary composers and their brilliant work.
Ariane Binder studied Literature and Cultural Studies at Humboldt University in Berlin and Theater Studies at the University of Vienna before completing a traineeship at SWR. She presented the show »Landesart« for four years. She has also been head and author for the 3sat magazine program »Kulturzeit« since 2006. She has been presenting the culture magazine »Kunscht!« since September 2018.
© SWR, Alexander Kluge
Monday, November 3, 2025 | 7:30 p.m.
Theater Gütersloh
Hans-Werner-Henze-Platz 1
33330 Gütersloh
Tickets available soon
