Opus Arte, the Royal Opera House's multi-platform arts production and distribution company, is delighted to announce the start of an exciting new long term partnership with the prestigious Bayreuth Festival.

The announcement of the signing was made at a press conference in Bayreuth today by Katharina Wagner, co-director of Bayreuth Festival and great grand-daughter of Richard Wagner, together with Roland Ott, the new Managing Director of Opus Arte.

This important partnership reinforces Opus Arte's position as one of the leading players in the global DVD, cinema and digital market place for opera, ballet and theatre recordings.

The first recording to be released on DVD will be Christoph Marthaler's production of Tristan und Isolde conducted by Peter Schneider which is scheduled for release in November 2009. Recorded at this summer's festival, the international cast is led by Robert Dean Smith as Tristan, Iréne Theorin as Isolde and includes Robert Holl, Jukka Rasilainen, Ralf Lukas, Michelle Breedt, Clemens Bieber, Arnold Bezuyen and Martin Snell together with the Bayreuth Festival Chorus and Orchestra.

At the same time, an audio recording of the complete Ring Cycle, conducted by Christian Thielemann in 2008, will be released. This 14-CD set features Michelle Breedt, Albert Dohmen, Stephen Gould, Hans-Peter Konig, Linda Watson and Eva-Maria Westbroek.

Other releases will include Die Walküre in 2010 directed by Tankred Dorst and conducted by Christian Thielemann. Future productions will be announced in due course.

Tony Hall, Chairman of Opus Arte and Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House said: 'This is an exciting, long term agreement between Opus Arte, the Royal Opera House and Bayreuth. Roland Ott and I want to bring the very best opera and ballet recordings to audiences all over the world. Including Bayreuth in the opera houses we are working with is an enormous bonus. I look forward to Thielemann's Ring on CD and to many exciting productions on DVD.

Katharine Wagner commented on the new cooperation: 'I am very happy that, after a long time of talking to and discussing with several major labels, we now found a partner that not only is able to provide the high quality and the specific image that fits very well with the worldwide unique Bayreuth Festival but also is willing to become one of the very few and selected long-time partners we can definitely rely on'.