" Caliban 's Dream " was performed for the first time on 27 July 2012 at the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in London , as the Olympic cauldron was lit by the seven young athletes . The title refers to Caliban in '' The Tempest '' by William Shakespeare , whose ' Be not afeard ' speech Sir Kenneth Branagh , as 19th Century engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel , had recited earlier in the ceremony - a speech from the play 's Act 3 , Scene 2 , in which Caliban refers to his dreams : Be not afeard ; the isle is full of noises , Sounds , and sweet airs , that give delight and hurt not . Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments Will hum about mine ears ; and sometime voices That , if I then had waked after long sleep , Will make me sleep again ; and then in dreaming , The clouds methought would open , and show riches Ready to drop upon me , that when I awaked , I cried to dream again ! The track reprises the whistling leitmotif first heard during the minute 's silence section of " And I Will Kiss " , earlier in the ceremony . This time , it is sung by a children 's choir , then whistled , then both together . The lyrics for the song were written specifically for the opening ceremony by Underworld ’s Rick Smith and sung by Alex Trimble
opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in London
2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony
Caliban's Dream