The Time of Our Singing, Kris Defoort's fourth opera, after The Woman Who Walked into Doors (2001), House of the Sleeping Beauties (2009) and Daral Shaga (2014), is the climax and culmination of twenty years of operatic composition. Richard Powers' novel contains themes that have always been important to the composer and gave him the opportunity to explore the history of Western music and jazz. It is fascinating to see how Power's poignant characters have found their musical and scenic incarnation in this work. Each of Kris Defoort's operas is an infinitely valuable account of our times and of the human condition today. Each of his works is a joyful, profound and intense combination of music and life. Bernard Foccroulle