Talestri, Queen of the Amazons stages the war between men and women, among the Amazons who have sworn the death of men after having undergone their vicissitudes, until love interferes, in the heart of their queen, and the virtue and courage of the Scythian prince and his companion incite them to change their laws....

Talestri’s character (Thalestris in French), a rational and kind queen, could be very similar to Marie-Antoinette of Bavaria. Maria-Antonia Walpurgis, who worked with her husband on political reforms, shows us the opera from the women’s point of view, especially from Talestri, who does not lose her power by marrying after having abolished the extreme laws of her kingdom in order to reconciliate with her enemies. The music, shifting from Baroque to Classical, has a liveliness and a remarkable sense of drama, accompanied by the orchestra and poignant arias.

La mise en scène

Bérénice Collet met en scène cette « guerre des sexes », avec travestissements théâtraux (l’amoureux déguisé en suivante de la reine) sur travestissements musicaux (les rôles d’homme sont aussi écrits pour des voix aiguës), avec outre les couples amoureux, un beau rôle de la grande prêtresse, qui devra faire un travail de pardon sur les offenses qu’elle a subies afin d’accueillir son fils disparu.