Until the mid-sixteenth century, the cello was only used for accompanying purposes. It was not until around 1660 that the cello came into it's own, thanks to some alterations that were made to the instrument by luthiers in Bologna. Therefore it is no surprise that the first composers for the cello were Italian. The first disc of this anthology presents the origins of the solo literature, with works by Domenico Gabrielli, Bononcini and Marcello. The second features sonatas by Geminiani and Vivaldi. Roel Dieltiens is the soloist on this fascinating collection.