Drew Watson - Reverie: Musical World of Marcel Proust

In the summer of 2011, Drew Watson and William Carter were invited by the organizers of the biennial Balbec-Normand de Proust in Cabourg, France to present a concert at the gala dinner that ends the weekend-long celebration of French author Marcel Proust and his masterpiece In Search of Lost Time. In preparation for the event, they selected a group of songs by distinguished French composers of Proust's era, songs whose beautiful melodies and lyrics correspond to those of major Proustian themes: moonlight, the sea, love, and regret. Readings from Proust's novel and letters introduced each theme and the following set of songs. The concert, given in the belle-époque dining room of the Grand-Hôtel, a place where Proust himself dined countless times and from which he drew inspiration for well-known passages of his masterpiece, was enthusiastically received. The duo subsequently decided to produce a recording of the program with pianist Jane Watwood Gibbs so that others could enjoy it many times over at their leisure. This recording, with a slightly larger selection of songs, is the happy result of their collaboration.