Under the direction of Persian-speaking opera singer Camille Bordet, seven musicians place the great female figures of Europe and Iran at the center. Warrior women, mystics, magicians, poets, and composers – they speak of love, a universal love that transcends time and culture. Masterpieces from the European repertoire engage in dialogue with improvisations inspired by traditional Persian music and compositions from musicians with eclectic, cross-cultural backgrounds. Voices, Kamancheh, Viola da Gamba, lute, and percussion invite you on a dreamy, spiritual journey, a dialogue between times and places, from medieval Europe to contemporary Iran.
The Book of Queens is a poetic-musical encounter between the female voices of Persia and Europe. Created at the initiative of the Persian-speaking opera singer Camille Bordet on behalf of the Opéra de Dijon, it highlights and reinterprets the works of famous women from both cultures. Their names are Héloïse, Rabea Balkhi, Roudabeh, Hildegard von Bingen, Louise Labé, Barbara Strozzi, Forough Farrokhzad, or simply "the Beloved." They are heroines, warriors, priestesses, saints, witches, poets, and composers. They may have lived long ago or just yesterday, but through their words, they continue to live on and burn…
The language they use is universal; it transcends the particularities of their time and permeates societal and religious upheavals. These women scream out their love. From the Persian Empire to medieval Europe, from Iran to 21st century France, love takes many forms: carnal, dreamed, courtly, erotic, or mystical, forbidden love, the kind for which we give our life or for which it is taken from us; the place where transcendence and immanence mix par excellence. Camille Bordet, a Persian-speaking opera singer, has been exploring the connections between the Persian and Western worlds for many years and bringing them into dialogue on stage. By utilizing their uniqueness in service of a common identity, the musicians create a unique language that connects early music, Persian musical themes, and mystical texts from secular and religious traditions.
Camille Bordet – artistic direction, vocals
Mostafa Taleb – composition, arrangements, Kamancheh
Mehdi Emami – vocals, drums
Yunah Proost – cello, Viola da Gamba
Saïna Zamanian – Tar
Albane Imbs – Archlute, Baroque guitar
Miriam Encinas Laffitte – drums
Hallo, ich bin Maya.
