Charles Williams : ' The Dream of Olwen ' ( piano solo version )

Charles Williams ( real name Isaac Cozerbreit ) (1893-1978) was a British conductor and composer of film and light music who took the same professional name as his Polish-born father, who was also in the entertainment business. This piece - the theme from the British 1947 movie 'While I Live' (aka 'The Dream of Olwen') - is one of Williams' best known pieces and was enormously popular in the 1940s and 1950s. I have used the published solo version (with slight augmentation of the last bar). The movie itself - with its sleepwalking scene, and reincarnation subject matter - made a huge impact on me when I saw it on black-and-white television in the early 1960s. For more on Charles Williams, see:
http://www.rfsoc.org.uk/cwilliams.shtml
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Played by Phillip Sear
http://www.psear.co.uk

Category:

Music

Tags:

• piano
• classical
• movie
• themes
• British

[AnthonyB7777]

Very good.

I'm starting this piece shortly, as my father left me with the original music (1947)! Wel played and even more so so ce your reading music.

Tony

[PSearPianist]

@AnthonyB7777 Thank you Tony, and good luck with your study of the piece. Of course, although I use the score, I am not actually sightreading the piece, as I did practise it before making the video!

[HagenSara10]

Hello again,

I needed some pick me up, and after I hear your playing again, I feel like

I am not alone anymore. Thank you for playing so beautifully.

Please make a record of your playing.

I love to have them to share with my friends that do not use a computer.

God bless and inspire you always!

Thank you,

HagenSara10

[PSearPianist]

@HagenSara10 Thank you Sara. You are certainly not alone! Alas I have made no recordings of my playing, but you can always download my YouTube videos with RealPlayer (free) and extract the sound as MP3s.

[jaydcuk]

Hi Philip! Thank you so much for posting all your videos - I have had so much pleasure, listening through pieces that my old and very missed first piano teacher used to play to me. In any case, keep up the excellent work! You really should release a CD!!!!! Regards, Jay (London)

[PSearPianist]

@jaydcuk Thank you very much Jay - much appreciated. I'm not sure about the CD - there are too many other pianists out there. Despite limitations of sound quality (mine), YT is a really direct way of getting out there the music that I really want to play!

[PSearPianist]

@malditou2 Wow - thanks for your most kind comment. I can't guarantee I didn't miss or fluff the odd note though!

[PSearPianist]

@bigbaddemoness I'm so sorry to hear that news, but lets all hope for a miracle.

[PSearPianist]

@tdadz56 Thank you very much. You must have been very good to perform this while still at high school, and I wish you every success with the playing that you do now!

[tdadz56]

this piano piece means a lot to me - it was my piano recital piece in junior high 40 yrs. ago! thanks for sharing your wonderful talent to the world. you have encouraged me to do better . oh, if only i can play half as much as you do, then it would be a dream come true, not only to "olwen", but more so, to me! may God bless us all...

[Nina6955]

Thank you for your response. I may just do that!!

[PSearPianist]

@Nina6955 I hope this has brought back some pleasant memories - and I am sure it is not too late to learn!