Octet in E-flat major, Op. 20

Written when Mendelssohn was 16, this is one of the most remarkable feats of youthful genius in music history. Scored for four violins, two violas, and two cellos, it combines the intimacy of chamber music with the power of an orchestra. The scherzo, inspired by the Walpurgis Night scene from Goethe's Faust, is extraordinary.