Pygmalion (opera)
Pygmalion is a monodrama in one act by composer Georg Benda with a German libretto by Friedrich Wilhelm Gotter. The opera's first performance was at the :de:Ekhof-Theater|Ekhof Theater, the court theatre in Gotha, on September 20, 1779. Pygmalion was the fourth of the five theatrical collaborations of Benda and Gotter. Gotter based his text on Jean-Jacques Rousseau's 1762 play Pygmalion. Benda's melodrama is unusual as it has three characters but only one spoken role. Two of the parts are silently acted on stage.Roles
Synopsis
, having renounced women, is in love with the statue he has made, his Galatea. Venus allows her to come to life, giving him final happiness.Discography
