John Huston’s 1956 film of the epic novel Moby Dick by Herman Melville is a genuine grand movie adventure. Sharing Huston’s passion for the sea, Philip Sainton produced one of the most vibrant “sea scores” ever written, from the shimmering, rhapsodic depictions of the becalmed ocean to the thrilling and earth-shaking motif of the whale.

Including music which was omitted from the soundtrack, this recording was widely acclaimed on its original release. Gramophone considered the score to be “music of richly stocked imagination and uncommonly fertile resource”, and there was also praise from ClassicsToday.com: “Sainton’s music belongs squarely in the tradition of contemporaries such as Finzi, Howells, and Grace Williams, and anyone who enjoys these composers will find his music equally appealing …”