We were pleased to present our concert to the Upper Valley with the centerpiece being Ola Gjeilo's Dreamweaver. The text is based on parts of the well-known 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 until the twelfth day of Christmas. 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 playful interpretation in English penned by Charles Anthony Silvestri.
Bel Canto is delighted to have had Mary Bonhag as the soprano soloist for this piece.