Pygmalion
Founded in 2006 by Raphaël Pichon, Pygmalion — choir and orchestra — was born from the spontaneous gathering of instrumentalists and singers from the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris, brought together to respond to an invitation from the Europa Bach Festival. Since then, the ensemble has established itself as one of the leading international references in historically informed performance of Baroque and Classical music.
Alongside major repertoire works, which it approaches with renewed interpretative perspectives (Bach’s Passions, Rameau’s tragédies lyriques, Mozart’s Great Mass in C minor and Requiem staged by Romeo Castellucci, Mendelssohn’s Elias, Monteverdi’s Vespers), Pygmalion develops original programmes that cast new light on the many connections between works while reviving the spirit in which they were conceived: Mozart & The Weber Sisters; Miranda on music by Purcell; Stravaganza d’Amore, evoking the birth of opera at the Medici court; Enfers with Stéphane Degout; the cycle Bach en sept paroles at the Philharmonie de Paris; and Libertà!, retracing the early development of Mozartian dramma giocoso. Through ambitious, cross‑disciplinary projects, Pygmalion has forged a singular identity on the international musical scene.
For its staged productions, Pygmalion collaborates with directors such as Katie Mitchell, Romeo Castellucci, Simon McBurney, Aurélien Bory, Jetske Mijnssen, Pierre Audi, Valérie Lesort and Christian Hecq, Cyril Teste, Clément Cogitore, and Michel Fau.
In residence at the Opéra National de Bordeaux, Pygmalion has in recent years developed a season of chamber‑music concerts and free educational workshops open to all: the “Kiosque Pygmalion.” In response to the COVID‑19 crisis, the ensemble launched in July 2020 a new popular and civic‑minded festival rooted in the Bordeaux region — a true laboratory‑festival fostering experimental approaches to musical transmission. Pygmalion’s musicians play an active role in this festival, offering ambitious cultural and educational initiatives.
Pygmalion performs regularly on leading French stages (Philharmonie de Paris, Opéra Royal de Versailles, Opéra‑Comique, Aix‑en‑Provence, Beaune, Toulouse, Saint‑Denis, La Chaise‑Dieu, Royaumont, Nancy, Metz, Montpellier…) and internationally (Hamburg, Cologne, Frankfurt, Essen, Salzburg, Vienna, Amsterdam, Beijing, Hong Kong, Barcelona, Brussels, etc.).
Pygmalion has recorded for harmonia mundi since 2014. Its discography has been acclaimed in France and abroad: Diapason d’or de l’année, Victoire de la Musique Classique, Choc de Classica, Gramophone Award, Preis der Schallplattenkritik, Edison Klassiek Award, among others.
The Société Générale Corporate Foundation began its first collaboration with the ensemble with the commission of Wolkengesang from Vincent Manac’h for Pygmalion. The Foundation supported the ensemble from 2015 to 2019 and has been supporting it again since 2022.
Photo credit: ©Fred Mortagne
