Jean-Philippe Rameau's Pygmalion was his first autonomous acte de ballet, premiering on August 27, 1748, at the Académie Royale de Musique in Paris.
Compositional Technique
In Nélée et Myrthis, Rameau creates a dramatic disjunction in Myrthis's air 'Malgré le penchant le plus tendre' by setting vindictive words to music that conveys extreme tenderness.
Compositional Technique
In Pygmalion, Rameau uses repeated notes in the overture's second movement to imitate the sound of a sculptor's chisel.
Recording & Production
This recording was made in May 1991 in Paris, at Salle Berthier, with Jean-Martial Golaz as the sound engineer and artistic director.
Composition History
Nélée et Myrthis is likely an acte de ballet detached from a longer work, as its manuscript bears the generic title 'Les Beaux Jours de l'Amour,' suggesting Rameau intended it as part of an opéra-ballet.
Historical Context
The acte de ballet, a one-act form derived from the opéra-ballet, was popular in the Baroque period due to its adaptability and flexibility to the demands of the cultural market.
