THE BOOK OF QUEENS – MALAKENÂMEH

In the organizer's words:

Under the direction of Persian-speaking opera singer Camille Bordet, seven musicians focus on the great female figures of Europe and Iran. Female warriors, mystics, magicians, poets and composers - they speak of love, a universal love that transcends time and culture. Masterpieces from the European repertoire are in dialog with improvisations inspired by traditional Persian music and compositions by musicians with an eclectic, cross-cultural background. Voices, kamancheh, viola da gamba, lute and percussion invite you on a dreamlike, spiritual journey, a dialog between times and places, from medieval Europe to present-day Iran.

The Book of Queens is a poetic-musical encounter between the female voices of Persia and Europe. Created on the initiative of the Persian-speaking opera singer Camille Bordet on behalf of the Opéra de Dijon, it highlights and reinterprets works by 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 only yesterday, but through their words they live on and burn ...

The language they use is universal; it transcends the particularities of their time and permeates social and religious upheavals. These women shout 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 lives or for which they are taken from us; the place where transcendence and immanence intermingle par excellence. Camille Bordet, a Persian-speaking opera singer, has been exploring the links between the Persian and Western worlds for many years, bringing them into dialog on stage. Using their uniqueness in the service of a common identity, the musicians create a unique language that combines ancient 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, percussion
Yunah Proost - cello, viola da gamba
Saïna Zamanian - Tar
Albane Imbs - archiluth, baroque guitar
Miriam Encinas Laffitte - percussion

English:
Under the direction of Persian-speaking opera singer Camille Bordet, seven musicians highlight the great female figures of Europe and Iran. Warriors, mystics, magicians, poets or composers, they speak of love; a universal love that transcends time and culture. Masterpieces from the European repertoire dialogue with improvisations inspired by traditional Persian music, and compositions by musicians with eclectic, cross-cultural backgrounds. Voices, kamancheh, viola da gamba, lute and percussion invite you on a dreamlike, 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 on the initiative of Persian-speaking opera singer Camille Bordet at the request of the Opéra de Dijon, it highlights and reinterprets works by illustrious women from both cultures.
Their names are Héloïse, Rabea Balkhi, Roudabeh, Hildegard von Bingen, Louise Labé, Barbara Strozzi, Forough Farrokhzad or just "the beloved". They are heroines, warriors, priestesses, saints, witches, poets and composers. They may have lived long ago or only yesterday, but through their words they live on, and they burn... The language they use is universal; it transcends the particularities of their times and cuts across societal and religious upheavals. These women cry out their love. From the Persian Empire to medieval Europe, from Iran to 21st-century France, love takes many forms: carnal, dreamed-of, courtly, erotic or mystical, forbidden love, the kind for which we give our lives, or for which they are taken from us; the place where, par excellence, transcendence and immanence mingle. Camille Bordet, a Persian-speaking opera singer, has been exploring the links between the Persian and Western worlds for many years, bringing them into dialogue on stage
Putting their singularity to good use in the service of a common identity, the musicians create a unique language blending ancient 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, percussions
Yunah Proost - cello, viola da gamba
Saïna Zamanian - Tar
Albane Imbs - archiluth, baroque guitar
Miriam Encinas Laffitte - percussions

Price information:

Information will follow on the homepage