For more than 180 years, Bertelsmann has offered authors and artists a platform for producing creative content and making it accessible to a wide audience. This creativity entertains and inspires millions of people, every day and all over the world.

That is why Bertelsmann partners with creative professionals to advance numerous cultural projects in the fields of literature, film, music and the arts. The preservation and protection of creative works was and remains part of the company’s history. Bertelsmann therefore sponsors historical and cultural projects that support this concern at various levels.

Culture@Bertelsmann is closely linked to Bertelsmann’s tradition and creative products, for creativity is an engine of diversity and innovation, both in business and in society.

The Berlin premiere of “Stiffelio.”

Music

Ricordi Archive

The Archivio Storico Ricordi is regarded as one of the world’s most important music collections. The archive includes the estate of the Ricordi publishing house, which was founded in Milan in 1808 and acquired by Bertelsmann in 1994.

In February 2017, about 1,200 guests in Berlin witness a sold-out performance of “Stiffelio,” an opera by Giuseppe Verdi that was long believed to have been lost. The Ricordi music archive was able to contribute essential fragments of the score and original correspondence for the reconstruction of the original version of “Stiffelio.” The delighted audience rewarded the Berliner Operngruppe, which specializes in rare works and is conducted by Felix Krieger, with enthusiastic applause, loud calls of “bravo,” and standing ovations.

“Metropolis” at the UFA Film Nights in Berlin.

Film

UFA Film Nights

The UFA Film Nights are an international success story. Since 2012, Bertelsmann and UFA have presented screenings of selected silent movies with live musical accompaniment. Having started in Berlin, UFA Film Nights now also take place in Brussels, Paris, Madrid and New York. Well-known musicians, renowned orchestras and international DJs ensure unique film experiences that effortlessly overcome language and age barriers.

In the summer of 2017, “Metropolis,” one of the old Ufa’s most influential – and costliest – productions ever, is on the program. Directed by Fritz Lang, this story about the conflict between an industrial elite and a repressed working class set in a distant future is regarded as the “mother of all sci-fi movies.”

The Blue Sofa in Unter den Linden 1.

Literature

The Blue Sofa

To date, nearly 2,500 writers have taken a seat on the colorful couch to present their latest works at Germany’s major book fairs. In addition, there are also “Blue Sofa” events in other places and on other occasions. For 17 years, the Blue Sofa partners – Bertelsmann, Deutschlandfunk Kultur, and ZDF – have presented the most important authors, and their books, on this literary lounge chair.

Two weeks before the Frankfurt Book Fair 2017, the Blue Sofa makes a stop at Bertelsmann Unter den Linden 1 in Berlin to get the audience in the mood for this year’s guest of honor, France, with award-winning authors. More than 150 guests from politics, culture and the media come to watch the presentations and discussions.

Singer/songwriter Y'akoto

Culture

Week of Cabaret Arts

For five days every summer, Dreiecksplatz in Gütersloh is transformed into a place of cultural encounters, where different musical styles meet. “Woche der kleinen Künste” (“Week of Cabaret Arts”) is organized by the Kulturgemeinschaft Dreiecksplatz. Bertelsmann regularly supports the program by bringing artists from its music company BMG to the stage.

In July 2017, the German-Ghanaian singer/songwriter Y’akoto thrills the audience in Gütersloh. About 3,000 people a day gather on Dreiecksplatz during cabaret week.