Charpentier’s Actéon & Rameau’s Pygmalion

Charpentier’s Actéon and Rameau’s Pygmalion: two mythological mini-masterpieces of baroque opera, in an exuberant concert performance.

In the world of baroque opera, the impossible comes as standard. Deep in the forest, a huntsman surprises a naked goddess – and finds himself transformed from hunter into prey. A sculptor falls in love with his own beautiful creation; but this time, the gods are smiling and even cold stone can't conceal a passionate heart.

Those are the tales that AAM re-tells tonight: dramas of human emotion and divine power from two of the most imaginative (and entertaining) masters of the French baroque. Rameau’s Pygmalion and Charpentier’s Actéon are rarities on the British stage – and with a knockout cast, this double bill of concert performances will spring into sparkling, sensuous life.