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 its length, subject, scope, and depth - a bestseller in France, Grand Prix du roman de l'Acad�mie fran�aise and Prix Goncourt, translated into over twenty languages - told in the first person by Maximilian Aue, a former SS officer. Together with H�ndl Klaus, who wrote the libretto, H�ctor Parra has achieved a musical, intellectual, and human tour de force. These 3 b-records CDs, which inaugurate the new "Villa M�dicis Live" collection, allow us to relive the extraordinary world premiere, bringing together a first-rate vocal team and the great conductor Peter Rundel.