Several years ago, when the director of Production House Palass from Paris, Marc de Domenico suggested to Emir Kusturica and Nenad Janković, frontman of the cult rock band No Smoking Orchestra, who is better known as Nele Karajlić, that he adapt the script of the famous movie The Time of the Gypsies as a score for opera, Janković thought the idea was "absolutely mad" though he had already realised several impossible ideas in his long cooperation with Kusturica. Simply – neither he nor members of the cult rock band No Smoking Orchestra had ever before written an opera score.
In the meantime, it appeared that the Director of the Paris Opera Bastille, Mr. Gerard Mortier, wanted Emir Kusturica to direct one opera because Kusturica’s films, according to Mr. Mortier, are indeed "operas as such". The idea of Marco de Domenico came to life at the moment when Gerard Mortier informed him that he was ready to put the opera Le temps des Gitans /The Time of the Gypsies/ on the repertoire of the famous Paris Opera Bastille.
To Emir Kusturica and his associates, besides presenting an artistic challenge, weighing on the decision to venture in this direction was the possibility to perform in one of the most distinguished opera houses in the world. The work on adapting the script, composition of scores and rendering the text in the Romany language lasted more than one year, while rehearsing in Serbia and France took several months. Very critical but also very curious, the Parisian audience was impatient and a slightly suspicious to see how a well-known filmmaker like Emir Kusturica would direct an opera. Indeed, was it even possible to adapt a very well-known film into a good opera? The atmosphere on the eve of the premiere was additionally reheated by stories from Parisian cafes that the currently prepared performance would have a surrealistic atmosphere, constantly moving stage scenery, rather fancy costumes and music that made one’s skin bristle. During that period Emir Kusturica expertly guided more than 50 actor-singers and musicians through this unusual artistic project.
The result was already evident at the pre-premiere for which a ticket plus was asked and, already the following day, tickets for all six performances were sold out. Nearly 50,000 Parisians last summer saw 15 performances of Kusturica’s opera. Some critics even called it the event of the season, and the distinguished French newspaper Le Figaro wrote that "Kusturica conquered Bastille", alluding to the ovations at the end of each performance.
The volcanic music of the No Smoking Orchestra (Dejan Sparavalo, Nele Karajlić, Stribor Kusturica), conducted by Zoran Komadina, conductor of the Garbage Serbian Philharmonic, was especially praised as were the young soloists Stevan Anđelković (Perhan) and Milica Todorović (Azra). | 
