Mendelssohn: Piano trios Opp 49 & 66/ Emanuel Ax (piano), Yo-Yo Ma (cello), Itzhak Perlman (violin)

When old friends get together to make music, you can usually expect to hear something special; when those old friends are musicians of this standing then the result is truly exceptional. Their special bond simply amplifies all the warmth to be found in Mendelssohn's trios in D minor and C minor to make them readings of particular democratic distinction. Yo-Yo Ma says that their purpose was "to celebrate Mendelssohn as a model of excellence, generosity and virtuosity", a purpose emphatically achieved.