Pigmalion (opera)
Encyclopedia
For the opera by Georg Benda
see Pygmalion (opera)
Pigmalion is an opera
in the form of a one-act acte de ballet by Jean-Philippe Rameau
first performed on 27 August 1748 at the Opéra in Paris. The libretto
is by Ballot de Sovot. The work has generally been regarded as the best of Rameau's one-act pieces. He was said to have composed the work in eight days.
as told in Ovid
's Metamorphoses. In Rameau and de Sovot's version, the sculptor Pigmalion creates a beautiful statue to which he declares his love. His girlfriend, Céphise, begs for attention; Pigmalion spurns her and entreats the goddess Venus
to bring his statue to life. Magically the statue enlivens, sings, and dances; L'Amour (Love, or Venus
) arrives and praises Pigmalion for his artistry and faith in her powers. Much celebratory dancing and singing follows, attesting to the power of love. L'Amour helpfully finds another lover for Céphise.
Georg Benda
Jiří Antonín Benda, also Georg Anton Benda or J.A. Benda was a Czech kapellmeister, violinist and composer of the classical period.-Biography:...
see Pygmalion (opera)
Pygmalion (opera)
Pygmalion is a monodrama in one act by composer Georg Benda with a German libretto by Friedrich Wilhelm Gotter. The opera's first performance was at the Ekhof Theater, the court theatre in Gotha, on September 20, 1779. Pygmalion was the fourth of the five theatrical collaborations of Benda and...
Pigmalion is an opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
in the form of a one-act acte de ballet by Jean-Philippe Rameau
Jean-Philippe Rameau
Jean-Philippe Rameau was one of the most important French composers and music theorists of the Baroque era. He replaced Jean-Baptiste Lully as the dominant composer of French opera and is also considered the leading French composer for the harpsichord of his time, alongside François...
first performed on 27 August 1748 at the Opéra in Paris. The libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
is by Ballot de Sovot. The work has generally been regarded as the best of Rameau's one-act pieces. He was said to have composed the work in eight days.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 27 August 1748 (Conductor: - ) |
|---|---|---|
| Pigmalion | haute-contre Haute-contre The haute-contre is a rare type of high tenor voice, predominant in French Baroque and Classical opera until the latter part of the eighteenth century.-History:... |
Pierre Jélyotte Pierre Jélyotte Pierre Jélyotte was a French operatic tenor, particularly associated with works by Rameau, Lully, Campra, and Destouches.-Life and career:... |
| L'Amour | soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... |
|
| Céphise | soprano | |
| La statue | soprano | Marie Fel Marie Fel Marie Fel was a French opera singer, daughter of the organist Henri Fel.Marie Fel was born at Bordeaux. She made her debut at the Paris Opera in 1733 and sang regularly at the Concert Spirituel... |
Synopsis
The story is based on the myth of PygmalionPygmalion (mythology)
Pygmalion is a legendary figure of Cyprus. Though Pygmalion is the Greek version of the Phoenician royal name Pumayyaton, he is most familiar from Ovid's Metamorphoses, X, in which Pygmalion was a sculptor who fell in love with a statue he had carved.-In Ovid:In Ovid's narrative, Pygmalion was a...
as told in Ovid
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...
's Metamorphoses. In Rameau and de Sovot's version, the sculptor Pigmalion creates a beautiful statue to which he declares his love. His girlfriend, Céphise, begs for attention; Pigmalion spurns her and entreats the goddess Venus
Venus (mythology)
Venus is a Roman goddess principally associated with love, beauty, sex,sexual seduction and fertility, who played a key role in many Roman religious festivals and myths...
to bring his statue to life. Magically the statue enlivens, sings, and dances; L'Amour (Love, or Venus
Venus (mythology)
Venus is a Roman goddess principally associated with love, beauty, sex,sexual seduction and fertility, who played a key role in many Roman religious festivals and myths...
) arrives and praises Pigmalion for his artistry and faith in her powers. Much celebratory dancing and singing follows, attesting to the power of love. L'Amour helpfully finds another lover for Céphise.
Recordings
- Pigmalion La Petite BandeLa Petite BandeLa Petite Bande is a Belgium-based ensemble specialising in Baroque music played on period instruments. They are particularly known for their recordings of works by Corelli, Rameau, Handel, and Bach.-History:...
, Sigiswald KuijkenSigiswald KuijkenSigiswald Kuijken is a Belgian violinist, violist, and conductor known for playing on authentic instruments.-Biography:Kuijken was born in Dilbeek, near Brussels. He was a member of the Alarius Ensemble of Brussels between 1964 and 1972 and formed La Petite Bande in 1972...
(Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, 1981) - Pigmalion English Bach Festival Singers and Orchestra, Nicholas McGegan (Erato, 1984)
- Pigmalion Les Arts Florissants, William Christie (Harmonia Mundi, 1992)
- Pygmalion Concert Royal, James Richman (Centaur 2010)