The sculptor Pygmalion and his wife Céphise become the protagonists of an unusual story of jealousy: they turn to Cupid, the god of love, complaining that Pygmalion has fallen in love with the statue he himself created, thereby growing indifferent to Céphise. For them, this loss of attention is especially painful, but their words do not reach the heart of Cupid. Instead, Cupid performs a miracle: he brings the statue to life, and she returns Pygmalion’s feelings, confessing her love for him—to the great astonishment of the sculptor himself.
In 1748, Jean-Philippe Rameau received a commission to compose a one-act opera for the Royal Academy of Music. Ballet music, so beloved by audiences of the day, occupies an important place in this work. The libretto, written by Ballot de Sovot and based on an ancient myth, served as a stage for reflections on the creative power of the artist and the mysterious, almost divine, energy of art.
Initially, audiences were puzzled by this unusual interpretation of a familiar myth, and the opera did not achieve instant success. However, just a few years later, “Pygmalion” became one of Rameau’s most popular and frequently performed compositions. Before the French Revolution, this opera was staged more than two hundred times in Paris alone, and its success was so great that it even inspired parodies—a true indicator of the public’s deep affection for the music and theater of Jean-Philippe Rameau.