The Music

Ola Gjeilo Dreamweaver

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Listen to Dreamweaver on Spotify and on YouTube

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The text for Dreamweaver is based on parts of the Norwegian medieval folk poem Draumkvedet, an epic ballad that has a lot in common with Dante’s The Divine Comedy. The protagonist, Olav Åsteson, falls asleep on Christmas Eve and sleeps for thirteen days. He wakes up and rides to church to describe his dreams to the congregation about his brave, beautiful, terrifying, and ultimately redeeming journey through the afterlife. For this composition, the Draumkvedet poem has been adapted into a creative reimagination in English penned by Charles Anthony Silvestri.

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1. Prologue

Listen!

I sing the sacred vision

Of the All-Wise Wanderer,

The Weaver of Dreams.

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On Christmas Eve he fell asleep,

So deep, so deep,

And woke upon Epiphany

With tales to tell.

He hurried to the holy Mass

And stood upon the threshold;

The warp and weft of wandering

He wove into his tale.

2. Dreamsong

And this was his dreamsong:

My journey began

In a rugged land,

Hard and fast

And unforgiving.

I made my way.

3. The Bridge

Beasts there were,

And wilder things, And shades of night

Were in that land;

I was afraid.

The monster’s claws  

Tore at my cloak;

With piercing eyes

They saw my soul.

I ran away.

For many leagues

I traveled west

Until at last—

My journey’s end—

I saw the Bridge!

Stretching out

Across the sky,

The way was barred

To all but wise.

I went across.

This bridge was spanned across a sea of ice—

A silver band, a way to Paradise.

A fair wide land did open up at last;

I stopped to stand where Future reckons Past.

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And in that place the Pilgrim Church did rise

Where, full of grace,  our Holy Mother wise

 Bade me embrace her heart of gold and red;

And o’er her face  a loving smile was spread.

I met a man, whose coat was stained in blood,

All mired was he, up to his knees in mud;

He held a frightened child under his arm,

And bitterly he wept for causing harm.

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4. Intermezzo

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5. Paradise

She spoke in gentle tone and bade me go

Where every sin is known, where cold winds blow,

Unto the very throne  of God to see

Where sorrow is unknown, forgiveness, free.

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6. Dominion

And through darkness appeared the Christ,

wreathed in light, flanked by saints and angels beyond number,

and crowned as King and Judge over all the earth.  

The Deceiver turned in fear,

and fled from before the Glory of the Lord and the Host of Heaven.

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Among the souls

Who trembled there

Burdened down

With sin and fear,

I took my place.

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To Christ the Judge

St. Michael spoke,

Defending us

Despite our shame.

I hung my head.

So one by one

We stood alone

Before our Maker

And our Judge.

He called my name.

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His burning heart

Loved away my shame,

And forged my soul

Anew by Grace—

I was redeemed!

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7. Epilogue

Cloaked all in lead another fell,

Laden with burdens heavy;

She lost her soul in fear of hell

In hope that she might be free.

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Others there were by pain ensnared

By their grief and tribulation

Hoping that they may yet be spared

And praying for salvation

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He forged their souls

Anew by Grace--

And all were redeemed. 

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