Pigmalion, more commonly today Pygmalion, is an opera in the form of a one-act acte de ballet by Jean-Philippe Rameau first performed on 27 August 1748 at the Opéra in Paris. The libretto is by Ballot de Sauvot. This work has generally been regarded as the best of Rameau's one-act pieces. He was said to have composed the work in eight days. Roles Synopsis The story is based on the myth of Pygmalion as told in Ovid's Metamorphoses. In Rameau and Ballot de Sauvot's version, the sculptor Pigmalion creates a beautiful statue to which he declares his love. His girlfriend, Céphise, begs for attention; Pigmalion spurns her and entreats the goddess Venus to bring his statue to life. Magically the statue enlivens, sings, and dances; Cupid arrives and praises Pigmalion for his artistry and faith in his powers. Much celebratory dancing and singing follows, attesting to the power of love. Cupid helpfully finds another lover for Céphise. Recordings Pygmalion Orchestre de chambre des Concerts Lamoureux, Marcel Couraud (Archiv Produktion, recorded 1962) Pygmalion La Petite Bande, Gustav Leonhardt (Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, 1981) Pygmalion English Bach Festival Singers and Orchestra, Nicholas McGegan (Erato, 1984) Pygmalion Les Arts Florissants, William Christie (Harmonia Mundi, 1992) Pygmalion Le Concert Spirituel, Hervé Niquet (EMI, 1992; Virgin Veritas, 2008) Pygmalion Concert Royal, James Richman (Centaur, 2010) Pygmalion Les Talens Lyriques, Christophe Rousset (Aparte, 2017) References Sources Girdlestone, Cuthbert, Jean-Philippe Rameau: His Life and Work, New York: Dover, 1969 (paperback edition) Holden, Amanda (Ed.), The New Penguin Opera Guide, New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001. Lajarte, Théodore Bibliothèque Musicale du Théatre de l'Opéra. Catalogue Historique, Chronologique, Anecdotique, Tome 1, Paris, Librairie des bibliophiles, 1878 (copy at Internet Archive) Sadler, Graham, ed., The New Grove French Baroque Masters Grove/Macmillan, 1988 Lambert, Kevin, "Hearing Pygmalion’s Kiss: A Scientific Object at the Paris Opéra", Physics in Perspective 16, no. 4 (2014): 417–439. DOI: 10.1007/s00016-014-0148-2. Operas Operas by Jean-Philippe Rameau French-language operas One-act operas 1748 operas Ballets by Jean-Philippe Rameau Operas based on Metamorphoses Ballets by Ballot de Sovot Opera world premieres at the Paris Opera Works based on Pygmalion from Ovid's Metamorphoses