Pygmalion is a choir and orchestra, playing on period instruments, which was founded in 2006 by Raphaël Pichon. As well as reinterpreting major repertoire, including the Bach Passions, Rameau’s tragédies lyriques, Mozart’s ‘Great’ Mass in C minor, Mendelssohn’s Elijah and Monteverdi’s Vespro della Beata Vergine, Pygmalion strives to build original programmes that highlight links between different works while regaining the spirit of their creation.
On stage, Pygmalion collaborates with directors such as Romeo Castellucci, Katie Mitchell, Aurélien Bory, Simon McBurney, Jetske Mijnssen, Pierre Audi, Valérie Lesort, Christian Hecq and Michel Fau.
In residence at the Opéra National de Bordeaux, and in response to the Covid-19 crisis, Pygmalion launched in July 2020 a new festival based in Bordeaux, a true festival-laboratory for classical music, around the theme of transmissions.
Pygmalion regularly performs on the most prestigious French stages, including the Philharmonie de Paris, the Opéra de Versailles, the Opéra-Comique, the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence… Internationally, the ensemble appears in Hamburg, Cologne, Frankfurt, Essen, Vienna, Amsterdam, Beijing, Hong Kong, Barcelona, Brussels and elsewhere.
Pygmalion has been recording for Harmonia Mundi since 2014. His discography has been distinguished in France and abroad with awards such as Victoire de la musique Classique, Classica’s Choc, Gramophone Award, Diapason d’or, Preis der Schallplattenkritik, Edison Klassiek Award…
Pygmalion is in residence at the National Opéra of Bordeaux. It is supported by the Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, the city of Bordeaux, the Département de la Gironde, the Nouvelle Aquitaine region and the Centre national de la musique. It is an associated ensemble of the Opéra-Comique (2023-2027). It is also supported by Château Bailly, honorary patron of the ensemble, and by Fondation d’Entreprise Société Générale.
