Paul Hindemith (1895–1963) showed exceptional talent from an early age – at 19 he performed the Beethoven Violin Concerto in Frankfurt, and at barely 20 was appointed leader of the Frankfurt Opera Orchestra. His output as a composer is enormous and varied. This disc presents four of his most important cello compositions: the Kammermusik Nr.3 (Op.36 No.2) – effectively a cello concerto – composed in 1925 and performed with the Nieuw Sinfonietta Amsterdam under Lev Markiz; the deeply moving Trauermusik, composed in one night in 1936 upon the death of King George V; and two substantial sonatas for cello and piano – the early Op.11 No.3 (1919) and the later E major Sonata (1948) – with Roland Pöntinen at the keyboard. Torleif Thedéen's warm, focused tone makes this an outstanding survey of Hindemith's cello writing.