PYGMALION Ensemble

Biography

The ensemble, founded by Raphaël Pichon in 2006, consists of a choir and an orchestra of period instruments. The ensemble’s repertoire allows to trace the links between Bach and Mendelssohn, Schütz and Brahms, Rameau and Glück and Berlioz.

The ensemble is based at the Opéra national de Bordeaux and is part of the Opéra-Comique. Pygmalion performs regularly at the Philharmonie of Paris, the Opéra royal de Versailles, the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, in Beaune, Toulouse, Saint-Denis, La Chaise-Dieu, Royaumont, Nancy, Besançon, Metz, Caen, Lessay, and internationally: in Cologne, Frankfurt, Essen, Bremen, Dortmund, Amsterdam, London, Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Barcelona, Brussels.

The ensemble’s landmark projects are Bach’s Köthener Trauermusik and The Passions of St. Matthew and St. John, the latter versions of Rameau’s musical tragedies, Great Mass in C minor by Mozart and the program dedicated to the Weber Sisters; Stravaganza d’Amore dedicated to the birth of the opera genre at the Medici court, Elijah by Mendelssohn-Bartholdy and a trilogy dedicated to the romantic canon.

Pygmalion cooperates with opera houses as well. The ensemble took part in the staging of Rameau’s Dardanus by Michel Fau (Bordeaux and Versailles), the Trauernacht by Katie Mitchell (Aix-en-Provence, Philharmonie de Paris, DNO Amsterdam, Gulbenkian Foundation, Tandem Arras-Douai and the Bolshoi Theatre) and Luigi Rossi’s Orpheus (Nancy, Versailles, Bordeaux, Caen).

The ensemble recorded the full version of Bach’s Short Masses, as well as of Dardanus, for Alpha Classics, then went on to cooperate with harmonia mundi. Among the records are: the Köthener Trauermusik by J.S. Bach, Castor & Pollux, Rheinmädchen; and Stravaganza d’Amore CD is currently being prepared.

For Erato, the CD of Mozart & the Weber Sisters has been recorded featuring Sabine Devieilhe. The discography of Pygmalion has won the most prestigious awards: the Gramophone Award 2016, the CD of the Month (Opernwelt magazine), Golden Diapason of the year, Choc de Classica Award, ffff of Télérama, Victoires de la musique 2015, Edison Klassiek award 2016, Grand prix de l’académie Charles-Cros 2016, and the Best Classical recording 2016 by Forbes.

Pygmalion is subsidized by the Regional Direction for Cultural Affairs of Nouvelle Aquitaine and the city of Bordeaux. The ensemble receives support of the Ile-de-France region, the EREN Group, the Foundation Bettencourt Schueller, the Mécénat Musical Société Générale and the Foundation Singer-Polignac.