Pygmalion, an absolute masterpiece, remains Rameau's most frequently performed work in the second half of the 18th century.
The short, one-act format often has a pastoral dimension, but not always, and composers could build up a highly diverse world of sound in a very short space of time, with contrasting passages. Rameau even went so far as to turn it into programme music, evoking the sound of the artist's chisel strokes in his sculpture.
The subjects are generally taken from the mythology of Ovid or Virgil. The tone is generally light, but with occasional moments of lively tension. As the format is very short, the tension is brief and the relaxation always comes at the end. The pastoral aspect is there, but there are also moments of reflection on politics, for example, which echo the thinking of the time. All the arts are involved: music, dance, poetry, philosophy.
Reinoud Van Mechelen