Commissioned by Opera Ballet Vlaanderen at the suggestion of director Calixto Bieito, Les Bienveillantes is based on Jonathan

Littell's novel, a harsh and monumental work in terms of it's length, subject, scope and depth - a bestseller in France, Grand Prix du

roman de l'Academie francaise and Prix Goncourt, translated into over twenty languages - told in the first person by Maximilian Aue,

a former SS officer. Together with Handl Klaus, who wrote the libretto, Hector Parra has achieved a musical, intellectual and human tour de force. These 3 b-records CDs, which inaugurate the new "Villa Medicis Live" collection, allow us to relive the extraordinary world premiere, bringing together a first-rate vocal team and the great conductor Peter Rundel.