Italian cellist and composer Luigi Boccherini was born into a family distinguished not only in music but which also boasted poets and dancers among its members. He travelled widely, holding prestigious posts in the royal courts of Madrid and Prussia. Aspiring young classical musicians will have played his Minuet, a work so popular that it has been transcribed for almost every instrument. Boccherini enjoyed considerable success as a virtuoso cellist. His concertos for the instrument combine attractive melodies with passages of exciting virtuosity. This disc is the first of three offering the complete concertos.