The story of Pygmalion first appeared in The Metamorphoses by Ovid, the Roman poet born in 43 BC. A sculptor carves a woman out of ivory and falls in love her — and she comes alive. Shakespeare uses the metaphor in A Winter’s Tale; it’s also the story of Pinocchio. George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion was the inspiration for the musical My Fair Lady. And let’s not forget Weird Science and Lars and the Real Girl.
In one of the classic interpretations of the tale, the Madison Bach Musicians will present the opera-ballet masterpiece Pygmalion by Jean-Philippe Rameau. First performed in 1748, the Madison production will feature a full baroque orchestra directed by early music maestro Marc Vallon, dancers and high-caliber vocal talent. Chelsea Morris, who plays the living statue, was praised for her “luscious soprano” by the Chicago Tribune, and The New York Times called Dann Coakwell (Pygmalion) “clear-voiced and eloquent.”
Performances are Friday, April 17, 7:30 p.m. (6:45 lecture), and Sunday, April 19, 3:30 p.m. (2:45 lecture) at the First Unitarian Society Atrium Auditorium. Pre-concert lectures will be presented by Trevor Stephenson, director of the Madison Bach Musicians, and Rameau specialist UW-Madison professor Charles Dill.
