Catalogue
From Kissinger Sommer 2025
Czech Philharmonic
Conductor: Tomáš Netopil Violoncello: Alisa Weilerstein
Ravel »La Valse« Saint-Saëns: Cello Concerto Nr. 1 A Minor Dvořák: Slavonic Dances op. 72
Now in its 40th year, Kissinger Sommer ranks among Europe’s prestigious music festivals, set in the elegant spa town of Bad Kissingen. Its programme features world-class symphonic and chamber concerts with leading orchestras, conductors, and soloists, including Leif Ove Andsnes, Igor Levit, Lisa Batiashvili, and Anne-Sophie Mutter. Concerts take place in the historic Regentenbau’s Max Littmann Hall, celebrated for its cherry-wood interior, exceptional acoustics, and architectural significance.
Recorded July 2025 Video Director: Philippe Ohl Duration: 90 min. Filmed in 4K
A production of HELIANE for Bayerischer Rundfunk, in cooperation with ARTE
From Oper Frankfurt
Blühen Blossoming
Opera in seven scenes / Libretto by Händl Klaus
Stage Director Brigitte Fassbaender Conductor Michael Wendeberg
Aurelia Bianca Andrew Anna Karolina Bengtsson Ken Michael Porter D. Muthesius Alfred Reiter Edgar Jarrett Porter
Ensemble Modern
Inspired by Thomas Mann’s final short story The Deceived, librettist Händl Klaus and composer Vito Žuraj create a haunting opera of psychological depth and luminous musical power. A woman falls in love with a man young enough to be her son, believing herself miraculously rejuvenated—until a terminal diagnosis shatters her happiness. Love and mortality collide with elemental force. In Brigitte Fassbaender’s acclaimed production, a superb cast brings this profoundly human drama vividly to life, exploring desire, illusion, and farewell.
Vito Žuraj
Recorded December 2025 Duration 80 min. Produced in HD Video Director: Philippe Ohl
A production of Oper Frankfurt and HELIANE
From Festival d’Aix en Provence
Louise
Gustave Charpentier
Musical Novel in four acts / Libretto by Gustave Charpentier and Saint Pol-Roux
Stage Director Christof Loy Conductor Giuseppe Sagripanti
Louise Elsa Dreisig Julien Adam Smith La Mère Sophie Koch La Père Nicolas Courjal
Orchestra of the Festival d’Aix en Provence
Charpentier’s Louise is a vivid portrait of bohemian Paris and a young woman’s longing for love and freedom. A landmark of French naturalism, the opera premiered in Paris in 1900 and quickly became an international success. Christof Loy’s production reveals the darker side of Louise’s emancipation, exploring family oppression, female desire, and the limits imposed on young women. Elsa Dreisig leads the outstanding cast at the Aix-en-Provence Festival.
Théâtre de l’Archevêche, July 2025 Duration 150 min. Production in 4K Video Director: Jérémie Cuvillier
A production of Bel Air Media and ARTE, in coproduction with NHK and HELIANE
From Dutch National Opera
The Maid of Orleans
Opera in four acts / Libretto by the composer
Stage Director Dimitri Tcherniakov Conductor Valentin Uryupin
Joan of Arc Elena Stikhina King Charles VII Allan Clayton Agnes Sorel Nadezhda Pavlova Dunois Vladislav Sulimsky
Tchaikovsky’s The Maid of Orléans is a monumental grand opéra, combining historical drama, romance and spectacular choral scenes. In Dmitri Tcherniakov’s acclaimed production, Joan of Arc is transported to a modern courtroom, where she confronts her choices, convictions and a corrupt society. Elena Stikhina stars in the demanding title role, with Valentin Uryupin conducting the Netherlands Philharmonic and the Chorus of Dutch National Opera.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Recorded November 2025 Duration 168 min. Production in HD Video Director: Andy Sommer
A production of Bel Air Media, Dutch National Opera and ARTE
From Staatsoper unter den Linden, Berlin
Melancholy of Resistance
A musical program by Denis Sneguirev and Christian Dumais-Lvowski
Cinematographic Opera based on the novel by László Kraszhahorkai
Stage Director David Marton Conductor Marie Jacquot
Georges Esther Matthias Klink Angèle Esther Tanja A. Baumgartner Rosi Pflaum Sandrine Piau János Valouchka Philippe Jaroussky
Staatskapelle Berlin
A lethargic town is shaken by the arrival of a mysterious circus whose three-eyed duke conceals a sinister plan: to destroy its people. Guillaume Métayer’s libretto is based on László Krasznahorkai’s 1989 novel, a dark parable of contemporary Eastern Europe. Marc-André Dalbavie’s spectral score explores timbre and sensory experience, while director David Marton’s film opera blurs the boundaries between reality and fiction.
Recorded July 2024 Duration 120 min. Production in HD Video Director: Myriam Hoyer
A production of Bel Air Media and ARTE
From Rossini Opera Festival 2024, Pesaro
Ermione
Tragic action in two acts / Libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola
Stage Director Johannes Erath Conductor Michele Mariotti
Ermione Anastasia Bartoli Andromaca Victoria Yarovaya Pirro Enea Scala Oreste Juan Diego Flórez Pilade Antonio Mandrillio Fenicio Michael Mofidian Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI / Coro del Teatro Ventidio Basso
Rossini’s Ermione, once puzzling audiences with its bleakness and unconventional structure, is now recognised as a masterpiece of dramatic intensity. Set after the Trojan War, it explores desire, unrequited love, jealousy and revenge. Ermione manipulates Orestes into murdering Pirro, her unfaithful lover, before taking her own life. At the 2024 Rossini Opera Festival, Anastasia Bartoli, Enea Scala and Juan Diego Flórez gave acclaimed performances in a bold, visually striking production.
Recorded July 2024 Duration 140 min. Production in 4K Video Director: Tiziano Mancini
A production of Rossini Festival Pesaro and Juan Diego Flórez Productions, in cooperation with Unitel and HELIANE
A Journey from Baroque to Modernism
Alexandre Kantorow
Bach/Brahms Chaconne Brahms No. 1° from Intermezzi, op. 117 Wagner/Liszt Liebestod, Tristan und Isolde Rachmaninov Rhapsody, Paganini Theme Ravel Jeux d'eau Medtner Sonate No. 1° op. 5. Scriabin Towards the Flame Stravinsky L’Oiseau de feu
Alexandre Kantorow, celebrated French pianist, captivated audiences at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Renowned for exceptional technique, maturity, and expressive interpretations, he has earned numerous prestigious awards. Performing worldwide in major concert halls, Kantorow is praised for bringing fresh perspectives to classical masterpieces. This film explores his artistry through intimate, inspiring locations at Villa Senar in Switzerland and his Family Home in Saint-Cloud, France.
Director: Denis Sneguirev, Christian Dumais-Lvowski Producer: François Duplat Duration: 43 min. A production of Bel Air Media and HELIANE
Daniil Trifonov
Thanks to the Music
A documentary by Denis Sneguirev and Christian Dumas-Lvowski
Scriabin Sonata Nr. 9, Op. 68 Tchaikovsky Album pour enfants Rachmaninov Vocalise, Op. 34/14 Ravel Gaspard de la nuit Bach/Rachmaninov Partita Nr. 3 in E major Prokofiev Sarcasmes Op. 17
Filmmakers Denis Sneguirev and Christian Dumas-Lvowski portray pianist Daniil Trifonov and follows him on an intimate journey from a Paris jazz club to the streets of New York to the peace and quiet of the remote forests near his home in Connecticut. The pianist, one of the most exciting and sought-after musical talents of his generation, reflects on his life as a musician and presents a repertoire ranging from Ravel's formidable Gaspard de la Nuit to Tchaikovsky's Album for the Young.
Director: D. Sneguirev, C. Dumais-Lvowski Producer: François Duplat, Amaury Lafarge Duration: 43 min.
A production of Bel Air Media and HELIANE
Wartime Elegy
While Kyiv lives to the sound of air raid alarms, the dancers of the National Opera of Ukraine continued to rehearse and perform regularly, fighting the war on stage.The program Wartime Elegy presents the Ukrainian premiere of Wartime Elegy as well as the ballets 5 Tango's and Spring and Fall, performed on the stage of the National Opera of Ukraine by the company's dancers. A short documentary about the Wartime Elegy rehearsals by the Ukrainian ballet soloists opens the program, followed by the short introductions of 5 Tango’s and Spring and Fall.
Alex Ratmansky Wartime Elegy John Neumeier Spring and Fall Hans von Manen 5 Tangos
A Ballet Triple Bill, National Opera Ukraine, Kiev
Conductor: Sergii Golubnychyi TV Director: Bertrand Normand Duration: 88 min. Filmed in 4K
A production of Bel Air Media in cooperation with ZDF/ARTE and NHK
Juan Diego Flórez and the Sinfonía el Perú
From the Philharmonie de Paris
“Sinfonia por el Perú reminds me every day of how music has changed not only my life, but also the lives of thousands of children, offering them a new future full of hope.”
Juan Diego Flórez
Founded in 2011 by star tenor Juan Diego Flórez as a social project inspired by El Sistema in Venezuela, the Sinfonía por el Perú currently caters for more than 5000 children in numerous centers in Peru. In September 2024 Juan Diego Flórez and the youth orchestra of the Sinfonía por el Perú returned to Europe for a tour with concerts in Madrid, Barcelona, Vienna, Geneva and Paris. The moving finals concert of the tour unfolds a bouquet of Italian and French opera arias by Bellini, Verdi, Donizetti, Gounod, Offenbach as well as pieces from Spanish Zarzuelas and a firework of encores like “El Condor Pasa” or “Amor de mis Amores” where Juan Diego Flórez accompanies himself on the guitar.
TV Director: Andy Sommer Duration: 90 min. / 50 mins. Filmed in 4K
A production of Bel Air Media in cooperation with Medici/Mezzo, Juan Diego Flórez Productions and HELIANE
Gabriel Fauré
Requiem
From Basilique St. Sernin in Toulouse Kazuki Yamada conducts the Orchestra National du Capitole de Toulouse
Claude Debussy Petite Suite Gabriel Fauré Requiem op. 48 Thierry Escaich Towards the Light
Orchestre National du Capitol de Toulouse Philharmonic Chorus of Tokio
In 2024, the centenary of Gabriel Fauré’s death was celebrated with his renowned Requiem, a serene work embodying peace rather than tragedy. Conductor Kazuki Yamada, a regular guest of the Orchestre National du Capitole, leads a Franco-Japanese ensemble featuring the Tokyo Philharmonic Choir. The program also includes Debussy’s Petite Suite and a new work by Thierry Escaich, performed in Toulouse’s magnificent Basilica of Saint-Sernin.
Conductor: Kazuki Yamada. TV Director: Isabelle Julien Duration: 70 min. Filmed in 4K
A production by Jack Febus in coproduction with NHK, Mezzo/medici, in cooperation with HELIANE