Best World Premiere
Opera
The Time of Our Singing
Kris Defoort
SINGING MIGHT MAKE MORE SENSE OF LIFE THAN LIVING HAD TO START WITH.— RICHARD POWERS (THE TIME OF OUR SINGING)
After a year of anticipation, Kris Defoort’s new opera will finally be brought to the stage! Black Lives Matter, police brutality, rigged elections: these are themes that have remained at the forefront of current affairs over the past year. There are clear parallels to be drawn between the recent history of the US and The Time of Our Singing, which was inspired by the Richard Powers novel of the same name. The work depicts the life of a mixed-race family that is both united and divided by music, against the backdrop of segregation in the post-war United States. In collaboration with the librettist Peter van Kraaij, the conductor Kwamé Ryan, and the stage director Ted Huffman, Kris Defoort conjures an imaginary space in which official history and personal histories intertwine, in which people come together to weave a narrative, and in which jazz and classical music are enriched by one another. ‘To my mind, it doesn’t happen often that a contemporary opera is so profoundly rooted in the “now” and yet raises so many universal themes.’ (Kris Defoort)
Downloads
Magazine
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OperaNotes on words, words on notes
A conversation with Richard Powers
The bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize winner behind The Time of Our Singing would have loved to attend the world premiere of this opera adaptation. The promotional obligations surrounding his latest novel Bewilderment decided otherwise. A planned encounter with the author thus became an extended Zoom conversation that deserves to be shared here in its entirety - despite the occasional internet glitch and subpar pixel quality.
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OperaThis particular piece is unique in my career
Conductor Kwamé Ryan
A few days before the world premiere, we talk to conductor Kwamé Ryan about the unique musical mix in The Time of Our Singing, his collaboration with composer Kris Defoort, and what it means to bring this immensely relevant opera to life in this day and age.
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Opera"Mixedness" - unified in time
Kwamé Ryan on 'The Time of Our Singing'
In this programme text, conductor Kwamé Ryan dissects from a personal point of view the topic of multi-ethnic identity and the musical eclecticism in The Time of Our Singing.
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OperaA struggle, a pain, expressed through music
Jam session with Abigail Abraham (Ruth)
In The Time of Our Singing, Abigail Abraham plays Ruth Daley, a character at the crossroads of various musical influences. We followed the singer during a jam session at Kris Defoort's home and talked to her about her connection with Ruth.
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OperaThe Time of Our Singing
From Great American Novel to opera
In The Time of Our Singing, the US writer Richard Powers describes how, against the backdrop of post-war segregation in his country, a racially mixed family is both united and pulled apart by music. The novel inspired Kris Defoort for his magnum opus. We paid the Belgian composer a visit, to discuss this La Monnaie commission in the company of his librettist Peter van Kraaij.
Gallery
Dates
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Tue 14 Sept 2021
Time
19:30
Venue
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Thu 16 Sept 2021
Time
19:30
Venue
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Fri 17 Sept 2021
Time
19:30
Venue
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Sun 19 Sept 2021
Time
15:00
Venue
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Tue 21 Sept 2021
Time
14:00
Venue
Infos
Building Bridges
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Wed 22 Sept 2021
Time
19:30
Venue
Infos
CST required
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Fri 24 Sept 2021
Time
19:30
Venue
Infos
CST required
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Sun 26 Sept 2021
Time
15:00
Venue
Infos
CST required
Cast
An opera by Kris Defoort
Libretto by Peter van Kraaij
Based on the novel by Richard Powers
ConductorKWAMÉ RYAN
DirectorTED HUFFMAN
Set designJOHANNES SCHÜTZ
CostumesASTRID KLEIN
LightingBERND PURKRABEK
VideoPIERRE MARTIN
ChoreographyALAN BARNES
DramaturgyPETER VAN KRAAIJ & ANTONIO CUENCA RUIZ
Delia DaleyCLARON MCFADDEN
William DaleyMARK S. DOSS
David StromSIMON BAILEY
JonahLEVY SEKGAPANE
JoeyPETER BRATHWAITE
RuthABIGAIL ABRAHAM
Lisette SoerLILLY JØRSTAD
StudentsCHLOÉ BRYAN,
ISSAÏAH FISZMAN,
EVA ROSE THYS
PianistDAVID ZOBEL
La Monnaie Chamber orchestra
Jazz quartet (Mark Turner, Lander Gyselinck, Nicolas Thys, Hendrik Lasure)
La Monnaie's Children's and Youth Choir led by Benoît Giaux
Production LA MONNAIE / DE MUNTCo-production LOD MUZIEKTHEATER
THEATER ST.GALLEN
In coproduction with Shelter Prod and Prospero MM Productions, with the support of taxshelter.be and ING
With the support of the tax shelter of the Belgian federal government
