Opera "Pygmalion" by J.-P. Rameau by the Ensemble Masques

Spectacle, festival (concert, danse, théâtre)

The baroque music company l'Ensemble Masques, directed by Olivier Fortin, currently in artistic residence at Cluny Abbey, brings you its new adaptation of this great classic of French opera-ballet in the privileged setting of the Farinier!

Affiche de l'Opéra Pygmalion de l'Ensemble Masques

  • Wednesday 16 July 2025 from 8pm to 10pm in the Farinier

  • Please arrive 15 minutes before the start of the concert.

  • Single ticket price: 20€

  • Tickets

Presentation

"Pygmalion is considered a perfect example of the French opera-ballet, a genre that combines song, dance and orchestral music. Premiered in 1748 at the Royal Academy of Music in Paris, the work illustrates Rameau's excellence in his innovative use of harmony and his ability to express complex emotions through music. The story is based on the myth of Pygmalion from Ovid's 'Metamorphoses'.

What gives life to art? This is the question that runs through Jean-Philippe Rameau's Pygmalion, an opera-ballet in which sculpture becomes flesh and comes to life under the effect of the gaze and love. This myth, taken from Ovid's Metamorphoses, is brought to life by the brilliant music of Rameau, who presented the work to a Parisian audience in 1748. Following on from John Blow's Venus & Adonis and Handel's Acis & Galatea, this new opera by Ensemble Masques brings a contemporary dimension to the work, by entrusting a circus artist with the moments of the work that are intended to be danced. In this re-reading, the circus artist specialising in the Cyr wheel embodies the statue that comes to life before Pygmalion's eyes, giving his metamorphosis a physical and poetic dimension, extending the momentum of the music and reflecting the breath that drives the creation.

Artists

Soloists :

Pygmalion : Cyril Auvity
The Statue : Hannah Ely
L'Amour : Judith van Wanroij
Céphise : Marie-Frédérique Girod

Circus performer : Jef Everaert

Conductor and harpsichord : Olivier Fortin

Find out more about the company

Renowned as much for its expressiveness and vitality as for its integrity and precision, Ensemble Masques fully embodies the multiplicity of the Baroque spirit. The core members of the ensemble each have careers as soloists and performers with prestigious international early music ensembles. They are regularly joined by other instrumentalists who share the same desire to bring out the full expressive potential of the repertoire they play.

"The technical perfection and intensity of articulation with the bows remind us of Musica Antiqua Köln in its heyday". Diapason magazine

Further information at ensemblemasques.org