The Book of Queens

The lyric mezzo-soprano Camille Bordet brings together Persian and Western worlds, highlighting composers and poets too often overlooked by history. This dreamlike performance weaves together oral tradition and written repertoire, ancestral texts, and contemporary creations.

Under the direction of Camille Bordet, five musicians illuminate great female figures from Europe and Iran: Rabia Balkhi, Hildegard von Bingen, Forough Farrokhzad, Barbara Strozzi, and others. Warriors, mystics, magicians, poets, or composers, they all speak of love — a universal love that transcends time and culture. This unique concert is built on the reinterpretation of ancient texts, set to music for the present. Masterpieces of the European repertoire dialogue with improvisations inspired by traditional Persian music, alongside compositions by Mostafa Taleb, performed by musicians with eclectic and transcultural backgrounds. Voice, kamancheh, viola da gamba, lute, and percussion invite the audience on a dreamlike, spiritual journey — a conversation across time and space, from medieval Europe to contemporary Iran.

Voice, Percussion: Camille Bordet
Composition, Kamancheh: Mostafa Taleb
Tar, Setar: Saïna Zamanian
Voice, Percussion: Mehdi Emami
Cello, Viola da Gamba: Yunah Proost
Archlute, Baroque Guitar: Albane Imbs
Percussion: Miriam Encinas Laffitte

Part of the Festival Les Nuits d’Orient et d’Ailleurs