About the work
The Beautiful Galatea is a comic mythological operetta in one act by Franz von Suppé, with a libretto by Leonhard Kohl von Kohlenegg (under the pseudonym Poly Henrion) that spoofs the ancient legend of Pygmalion. It premiered on 30 June 1865 at the Meysels-Theater in Berlin.
Plot
The sculptor Pygmalion has fallen in love with his own marble statue of Galatea and refuses to sell it to a collector. At his plea, Venus brings the statue to life – but the living Galatea turns out to be vain and unfaithful, flirting with Pygmalion's servant Ganymede and accepting gifts from the wealthy Midas. Disillusioned, Pygmalion begs Venus to reverse the transformation and ultimately sells the statue after all.
Cultural significance
The operetta is considered one of Suppé's most tightly constructed stage works and was quickly taken up internationally; the English-language reference work Grove Music Online devotes a dedicated entry to it. Today it survives above all through its buoyant overture, still a fixture of the concert repertoire.