Dmitri Shostakovich’s sonata for violoncello and piano op. 40 starts out with a lyrical theme. It gradually progresses to an enthusiastic climax. Agreeable sounds as a resigned reaction to Stalin’s cultural propaganda? Shostakovich’s cello sonata from 1934 is in any case a pivotal work from the early years, hinting at the future path of this composer who knew how to express his resistance against the political circumstances of his time as secret messages in his instrumental music.

Mendelssohn’s first piano trio is a huge success, nevertheless it would take the composer five years to write another composition for this instrument. His trio in C-minor was completed in a relatively short period of time in March and April 1845. It is a lot darker than the previous work and is considered to be a lot more complicated, making it a mature and technically challenging composition.