Simon Standage with The English Concert under Trevor Pinnock's direction made this recording of Vivaldi's 12 Concertos, Op. 8, over ten years ago. More recently, it appeared on CD in a piecemeal fashion that seemed intended to bewilder the prospective buyer. Now the two discs thankfully have swarmed and the set is available in an intelligible format. I enjoyed the performances enormously when I first heard them and reviewed them—The Four Seasons in 1976, and the remaining eight concertos in 1978. Nothing since has really changed my mind. There is a delicacy in this playing which, even though periodinstrument performances have gone from strength to strength in the last decade, has not been surpassed by this ensemble. The finale of "Spring" is a marvellous example of what I mean; here we have transparent textures, expressive solo playing and a luminosity which exerts an almost fairy-tale magic over the music. This playing seems more relaxed to my ears than it has sometimes struck me on more recent occasions. Of course, there is no denying that both in respect of ensemble and intonation there are aspects of these earlier performances which compare unfavourably with the very high standards set today, but that is not to say that anything here falls below what might generally be considered acceptable and for the most part the playing and the interpretation rise very considerably above that. Another feature of this set which I have grown to appreciate more and more is the sound of the recording itself which seems to me almost ideal. CRD had a man of rare gifts in the late Simon Lawman and his recordings invariably give me pleasure.