Arthur Bliss: Overture to Christopher Columbus

On this day in 1492 Christopher Columbus set sail with three tiny ships from the Canary Islands, his last port of call in the Old World on his way to the New.  1949 saw the release of a staggeringly expensive film about the explorer.  It was a box office disappointment but featured a score by Sir Arthur Bliss, a fairly prolific composer for the British film industry.  Bliss had experimented with the modernist movement but found the revenue stream more reliable with more accessible music for stage and screen.  There's a moral for modern composers in there somewhere.