Ensemble Pygmalion

Posted in Ensembles

Was a Resident Artist of the Fondation Singer-Polignac from 2013 to 2018, became associate artist in 2018

Pygmalion, a choir and orchestra on period instruments founded in 2006 by Raphaël Pichon, explores the filiations that link Bach to Mendelssohn, Schütz to Brahms or Rameau to Gluck and Berlioz.

Alongside the great works of the repertoire whose approach he reinterprets (Bach's Passions, Rameau's lyrical tragedies, Mozart's Great Mass in C minor, Mendelssohn's Elias, Monteverdi's Vespers), Pygmalion strives to built original programs that highlight the links between the works while regaining the spirit of their creation: Mozart & The Weber Sisters, Mirand with music by Purcell, Stravaganza d'Amore! - which evokes the birth of the opera at the Medici court, Enfers with Stéphane Degout, the cycle Bach en 7 paroles at the Philharmonie de Paris, or Libertà! - which retraces the beginnings of Mozart's dramma giocoso.

For his lyrical works, Pygmalion collaborates with directors such as Romeo Castellucci, Katie Mitchell, Aurélien Bory, Simon McBurney, Jetske Mijnssen, Pierre Audi and Michel Fau.

In residence at the Opéra national de Bordeaux, Pygmalion regularly performs on the most prestigious French stages (Philharmonie de Paris, Opéra royal de Versailles, Opéra-Comique, Aix-en-Provence, Beaune, Toulouse, Saint-Denis, Royaumont, Nancy, Montpellier etc.) and international (Köln, Frankfurt, Essen, Vienna, Amsterdam, Beijing, Hong Kong, Barcelona, Brussels etc.).

Pygmalion has been recording for Harmonia Mundi since 2014. His discography has been distinguished in France and abroad: Classica's Choc, Gramophone Award, Preis der Schallplattenkritik etc.

Pygmalion is in residence at the Opéra national de Bordeaux. It is supported by the Direction Régional dans Affaires Culturelles of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It is associated ensemble to the Opéra-Comique (2019-2022). It receives the support of Mécénat Musical Société Générale. Pygmalion is also in residence at the Singer-Polignac Foundation as an associate artist.

 

Discography