Les Beatitudes will probably be considered as Franck’s masterpiece. To a man of so profoundly religious as Cesar Franck the subject of Christ’s Sermon on the Mount must have appealed with particular force. The profound humanity, the depth of feeling and the transcendental beauty of the music make it one of the greatest masterpieces of religious music. Excellent performances by a strong cast of soloists, the superb Radio Symphony Orchestra of Stuttgart and choral specialist Helmuth Rilling.

The well-known little village from the Asterix and Obelix-comic books is in trouble: It is the last place not controlled by Rome. When Tax collector Claudius Incorruptus does not get his money from the villagers, Julius Caesar himself comes to the place to see what s so special about their resistance. A special magic potion, prepared by the village s druid, gives incredible power to those who drink it. And Obelix, who fell into the pot as a child has been invincible ever since. With the help of Tullius Destructivus, an intrigeur, the Romans try to get Obelix and the druid into their hands in order to wipe the little village off the map, when the last potion of it s stock has been used up. But each individual also has some plans of his own...