“Dormir Pour Rêver,” was inspired by the Tahitien mural, “D'où venons-nous ? Que sommes-nous ? Où allons-nous ?” or translated, “Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?” painted by the artist, Paul Gauguin.
When composer Jane McNealy and collaborator Alice Kuhns first started researching Gauguin’s life with the idea of turning it into a musical, McNealy recalled, "The more I learned about Gauguin’s life, the more there were so many unanswered questions: What happens when we look back and reevaluate our life? Are we filled with regret and questions that cannot be answered? How do we resolve our doubts and justify our existence? Does it matter?"
Although "I Lay Me Down To Sleep,” written in 1971, was never used in the musical, it was later translated into French, by her mother, Ann McNealy, in 1972. Fluent in French, and a poet in her own right, Ann’s translation, "Dormir Pour Rêver," is uniquely original. As Jane likes to say, “‘Dormir Pour Rêver’ was born with my mother’s own deeply creative interpretation and her own life questions.”
The composition is beautifully sung by Emmanuelle Raoul-Duval and accompanied by Ari Fisher’s elegant string and horn arrangement.
For the non French speakers who want to dive deeper into the lyrics, you can check out the video for “Dormir Pour Rêver,” produced by Julie Flogeac, which includes English subtitles.
Out and available to stream and watch on your preferred service!
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