This set is truly a marvel, both in its musical excellence and in the quality of its presentation. Through superb performances of works both famous and rare, it offers the listener a comprehensive, country-by-country guide to the world of opera in the Baroque period. It features 39 compact discs and three DVDs comprising over 47 hours of music, including seventeen complete operas performed by some of the world's finest singers under the direction of Rene Jacobs and William Christie. Several of the recordings in this set have been award winners, and some have been unavailable on CD for many years. Housed in packaging of the highest quality, the set also includes four richly detailed booklets and a supplementary CD with sung texts and translations. For anyone interested in music of this period, this is a release to treasure for a lifetime.