Compared to the output of Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann and Brahms, Mendelssohn’s production has been neglected in the panorama of 19th-century German chamber music. Yet the chamber-music legacy of the composer of the Italian Symphony is full of treasures, including the works for cello and piano which mark an important stage in the repertoire for string instruments. Gary Hoffman is one of the outstanding cellists of our time, combining instrumental mastery, great beauty of sound, and a poetic sensibility in his distinctive and memorable performances. He performs on a 1662 Nicolo Amati, the “ex- Leonard Rose”.