This set is both an upgrade from that set as the paper sleeves have been upgraded to cardboard, but the number of discs reduced from forty to this set for about the same release price, a sacrificial tradeoff reduction! I would add that if one tried to obtain the three originally released Philips boxes separately, he would pay substantially more money, if these three sets could be had at all. This is a 28 Decca CD set which is another incarnation of I Musici/Vittorio Negri Vivaldi sets previously released on Philips. The accompanying booklet still, is a meager affair (definitely not five stars here), it is just a works index together with track listings and timings. In short, the program booklet is slim pickings. Flimsy, paper CD sleeves (easily torn) from its earlier forty disc incarnation from Decca are replaced with sturdier stuff. The outwardly attractively packaged cardboard box slipcase still has several Venetian scenes included. While I am almost tempted to take away one of the "stars" for the outward package, which sort of looks like one I would have a private printer on commission utilize if I wanted to take up recording piracy as a profession by duplicating the material myself, I would give it five stars for the sound alone-state of the art for the 1970s, with I Musici and Vittorio Negri. On one third of the box, amounting to the first ten compact discs is another incarnation of the former VIVALDI EDITION VOLUME 1(PHILIPS' out of print RED BOX): Vivaldi Edition Vol. 1: Op. 1 - 6 including L'Estro Armonico & La Stravaganza Trio Sonatas (Suonate da camera a 3), for 2 violins & continuo, Op. 1 with Musici, Franco Gulli, Bruno Canino, Rohan de Saram, Salvatore Accardo Sonatas (12) for violin & continuo, Op. 2 with Musici, Bruno Canino, Rohan de Saram, Salvatore Accardo L'estro armonico, concertos (12) for 1-4 solo instruments, strings & continuo, Op. 3 with Musici, Maria Teresa Garatti, Walter Gallozzi, Luciano Vicari, Roberto Michelucci, Enzo Altobelli, Italo Colandrea, Anna Maria Cotogni La stravaganza, violin concertos (12) for violin, strings & continuo, Op. 4 with Musici, Maria Teresa Garatti, Walter Gallozzi, Felix Ayo, Sylvie Gazeau, Enzo Altobelli Sonatas (6) for violin or 2 violins & continuo, Op. 5 with Musici, Bruno Canino, Rohan de Saram, Salvatore Accardo Concertos (6) for 5 instruments, Op. 6 with Musici, Pina Carmirelli Making up the next nine compact discs is the former VIVALDI EDITION VOLUME 2 (PHILIPS' out of print GREEN BOX): Vivaldi Edition Vol. 2 "This second set of Vivaldi "published works" contains his most famous work of all--"The Four Seasons," part of the Twelve Violin Concertos, op. 8. In fact, there's really a lot of very fine music in this huge collection of concertos and sonatas. For years, centuries in fact, it was believed that this body of music essentially captured Vivaldi's life work. Then, in the early years of this century, a whole slew of music was discovered in various libraries around Europe and Vivaldi became the Concerto King, with over 600 of those works to his credit. The advantage to starting your collection with the published works is twofold. First, you've got to start somewhere, and second, these are the works that the composer felt worth publishing. Given the excellent performances, this is a great way to get a lot of Vivaldi for a little money. --David Hurwitz" Oboe Concerto, for oboe, strings & continuo in B flat major (authorship uncertain), Op. 7i/1, RV 465 with Musici, Heinz Holliger Violin Concerto, for violin, strings & continuo in C major, Op. 7i/2, RV 188 with Musici, Salvatore Accardo Violin Concerto, for violin, strings & continuo in G minor, Op. 7i/3, RV 326 with Musici, Salvatore Accardo Violin Concerto, for violin, strings & continuo in A minor, Op. 7i/4, RV 354 with Musici, Salvatore Accardo Violin Concerto, for violin, strings & continuo in F major, Op. 7i/5, RV 285a with Musici, Salvatore Accardo Violin Concerto, for violin, strings & continuo in B flat major, Op. 7i/6, RV 374 with Musici, Salvatore Accardo Oboe Concerto, for oboe, strings & continuo in B flat major (authorship uncertain), Op. 7ii/1, RV 464 with Musici, Heinz Holliger Violin Concerto, for violin, strings & continuo in G major, Op. 7ii/2, RV 299 with Musici, Salvatore Accardo Violin Concerto, for violin, strings & continuo in B flat major (authorship uncertain), Op. 7ii/3, RV 373 with Musici, Salvatore Accardo Violin Concerto, for violin, strings & continuo in F major ("Il ritiro" III), Op. 7ii/4, RV 294a with Musici, Salvatore Accardo Violin Concerto, for violin, strings & continuo in D major, Op. 7ii/5, RV 208a with Musici, Salvatore Accardo Violin Concerto, for violin, strings & continuo in D major (authentic, desipte attributions to others), Op. 7ii/6, RV 214 with Musici, Salvatore Accardo Il cimento dell'Armonia e dell'Invenzione, concertos (12) for solo instrument, strings, and continuo, Op. 8 with Musici, Maria Teresa Garatti, Felix Ayo La cetra, concertos (12) for one or two solo instruments, strings & continuo in two books, Op. 9 with Musici, Maria Teresa Garatti, Felix Ayo, Anna Maria Cotogni, Enzo Altobelli Concertos (6) for flute, 2 violins, viola, organ & continuo, Op.10 with Musici, Severino Gazzelloni Concertos (6) for violin with 2 violins, viola, organ & cello, Op. 11 with Musici, Salvatore Accardo Concertos (6) for violin with 2 violins, viola, organ & cello, Op. 12 with Musici, Salvatore Accardo Making up the next subset of ten discs is what amounts to the previous VIVALDI EDITION VOLUME 3, "SACRED MUSIC" (PHILIPS' out of print BLUE BOX): Lauda Jerusalem (Psalm 147), R.609 Introduzione Al Gloria, R.642 Gloria In D, R.589 Laudate Pueri (Psalm 112), R.602 Laudate Dominum, R.606 Introduzione Al Dixit, R.636 Dixit Dominus (Psalm 109), R.594 Magnificat, R.611 Beatus Vir, R.598 Kyrie, R.587 Introduzione Al Gloria, R.639 Gloria, R.588 Credo, R.591 Credidi Propter Quod, R.605 Laetatus Sum (Psalm 121), R.607 Domine Ad Adiuvandum Me (Psalm 69), R.593 Beatus Vir (Psalm 111), R.597 Magnificat In G Minor, R.610/611 Credo, R.592 Sacrum, R.586 Introduzione Al Dixit Dominus, R. 635 Dixit Dominus, R.595 In Exitu Israel (Psalm 113), R.604 Nisi Dominus (Psalm 126), R.608 Gaude Mater Ecclesia, R.613 (Hymnus) Salve Regina, R.616 (Antiphona) Salve Regina, R.617 (Antiphona) Canta In Prato, R.623 O Qui Coeli, R.631 (Motetto A Canto Solo Con Stromenti) Laudate Pueri Dominum (Psalm 112), R.600 Stabat Mater, R.621 Deus Tuorom Militum (Hymnus), R.612 Sanctorum Meritis (Hymnus), R.620 In Furore, R.626 Nulla In Mundo Pax, R.630 Salve Regina (Antiphona), R.618 Laudate Pueri Dominum, R.601 Confitebor, R.596 Regina Coeli, (Antiphona Incomplete), R.615 Juditha Triumphans, R.644 While I had the original first two Philips (Red and Green) boxes in their previous incarnation. The Negri set was a new acquisition for me. As it is almost impossible to acquire any Vivaldi collection in depth without some duplication, the investment of sixty dollars to acquire the Negri set of discs by Vivaldi at such a low price was,...irresistible! The Naïve recording label is putting out a complete Vivaldi Edition which is a work in slow, if not meandering progress, each album at or near at full price, which will take place for many years. One of its volumes, Operas, has been issued on twenty nine compact discs, and for Vivaldi completionists, supplementing that set with this one at less than two dollars a disk, which has some two hundred concertos and sonatas, plus most, if not all of the sacred works (three dozen), may be the way to go.