One of Felix Mendelssohn's first passions was string chamber music. His two cello sonatas and set of Variations in D , Op. 17 confirm "his love for the cello." the Sonata in B-flat Op. 45, written for his brother Paul, features heroic highs and lilting lows, while the adagio of the Sonata in D Op. 58 pays homage to the chorales of Bach. The formidable duo of cellist David Soyer and pianist Harriet Wingreen gives new life to these influential chamber works.