Ensemble Pygmalion
© Fred Mortagne
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Pygmalion, a choir and period-instrument orchestra founded in 2006 by Raphaël Pichon, explores the filiations that link Bach to Mendelssohn, Schütz to Brahms, Rameau to Gluck and Berlioz.
Alongside the canonical works explored by Pygmalion (Bach’s Passions, Rameau’s lyrical tragedies, Mozart’s Great Mass in C minor, Mendelssohn’s Elias, Monteverdi’s Vespers), the ensemble creates original programs that highlight the links between works while incorporating the spirit of their creation: Mozart & the Weber Sisters, Miranda (music by Purcell), Stravaganza d’Amore! (evoking the birth of opera at the Medici court), Enfers (with Stéphane Degout), the cycle Bach en 7 paroles (at the Philharmonie de Paris), and Libertà! (retracing the beginnings of Mozart’s dramma giocoso).
Pygmalion has created for itself a singular identity within the international musical landscape, thanks to its critical and popular success with challenging projects that often blend the old and the new.
When performing operas, Pygmalion has collaborated with such directors 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.
As the artist-in-residence at the Opéra National de Bordeaux, Pygmalion has for several years offered Kiosque Pygmalion, a season of chamber music concerts and free educational workshops open to all. In 2020, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, Pygmalion launched the Pulsations festival in Bordeaux.
Pygmalion performs regularly on the biggest stages in France (Philharmonie de Paris, Opéra royal de Versailles, Opéra-Comique, Opéra de Paris, Aix-en-Provence, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Toulouse, among others) and internationally (Vienna, Salzburg, Amsterdam, Brussels, London, Hamburg, Dortmund, Berlin, Frankfurt, Essen, Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Milan, Naples, Beijing, Hong Kong, and other cities).
Pygmalion has been recording for harmonia mundi since 2014.
Among the awards the ensemble has received: Gramophone Classical Music Awards (United Kingdom), OPER! Awards 2025 and Preis der Schallplattenkritik (Germany), Edison Klassiek Award (Netherlands), Diapason d’Or of the Year, Choc de Classica and Victoire de la Musique Classique (France).
