fwrend
Thanks for your input Dana.  This is really the kind of info I'm looking for as I need to find out exactly what and how many instruments I can have locked and loaded.  I just need to work through it all and spend time setting it up and testing it.  First I need to get my notes in order and decide which instruments are most important and when they are needed - a road map so to say.
 
I don't know all the technical details on how UVI and Kontakt handle the sample loads but I am getting some noise using some larger Kontakt instruments like Mercury whereas UVI seems to handle TrueKeys pianos very well.  Probably not a good comparison but it got me to thinking of what I can do/trust with either in a live setting.
 
My main DAW has 16GB RAM and both libraries are on SSDs.  My Surface has only 8GB but is also an i7 with an SSD.
 
Obviously I need to do some mock ups and figure out what I can safely handle instrument-wise but thought I'd seek some advice here for ideas.

I think you've answered your own question. I picked up the True Keys Pianos bundle on that AbFab $99 sale a couple of weeks back. Best hundred I've spent in a long time. Wonderful pianos, the only downside being they gave me G.A.S. (the Ravenscroft 275). I am hugely impressed.
 
I've been looking at GPO5 for a while, but the way the VI Labs pianos work in UVI Workstation makes me want to take a much closer look at the UVI orchestral suite. I've ignored previously because I thought there were too many instruments for the sample library file size. Now that I know more about UVI's excellent compression, I need to revisit the UVI suite.
 
Thanks for the reminder.

Not as good as pro stuff, but you might see if these are good enough for your needs as they are free...
Disclaimer: I made these, can't be objective and some people think they aren't worth the price...
 
http://bigcatinstruments.blogspot.com/2017/02/vsco2-rompler.html
http://bigcatinstruments.blogspot.com/2016/10/sound-modules.html
 

JimR - thanks, I'll check it out!
 
The Maartian - thanks, agreed! ...and you're welcome (I think :)
 
bigcatt - appreciate the links - I did actually check those out - nice work!
 

fwrend
Also, I have been watching some tutorials on Albion ONE and it does seem I can get quite a ways with what I have as John suggested.  Another case of needing to learn what I have to the fullest before succumbing to GAS (to which you Dana are no help!  )
 
In fact, the work we are performing by Joseph M. Martin is a very contemplative piece with some very haunting and expressive solo lines.  Nothing seems appropriately capable except that damn Bohemian Violin and Cello.  No way my wife was going to approve ..... until I played her the demos.  We may be making a designated donation!

:
You REALLY should pick up Bohemian Violin... it'll make you cry it is sooooo realistic and just plug & play... if you wait another week, price is going up with the eminent release of their expansion pack (cruise over to vic if ur interested) which adds a huge new set of "emotion" styles to the already amazing creature... 
 
all expansions are free from whatever price point you buy in at... and with each expansion, price goes up.  This one is HUGE....There has never been an instrument that has stirred up virtually EVERYONE in the professional orchestrating community like BV... NEVER! (despite what one human says)
 
I do love orchestrals... and music is about all I spend money on these days, being single again... but I'm also jaded so tend to pick cool stuff (omnisphere sounds/orchestrals are my main squeezes these days... Had enough of the other kind!)