Introducing Soundtrack for the Seas

Soundtrack for the Seas is an original musical composition created especially for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, designed to capture the feeling of a journey at sea.[ReadMoreMob] Inspired by a cruise on board Balmoral to Norway in search of the Northern Lights, the soundtrack brings together the calm of open water, the drama of snow-covered landscapes and the anticipation of moments guests dream of experiencing. To celebrate its launch, we caught up with composer Benjamin Squires to discover how his first Fred. Olsen cruise inspired the music, and what it was like to hear it performed by a 60-piece orchestra. 

It was surreal. A real pinch-me moment.  

When I’m sat behind the desk, taking in the music, I’m in work mode, listening for little bits that might need changing. So, as much as I want to sit back and really enjoy it and relax, my mind’s still in work mode.  

But every so often I completely zone out and just listen to the music. I’m meant to be flicking through the sheet music to keep on track, and suddenly I think, “This is funny, isn’t it? I’m just sat at the back here, listening to these 60 amazing players perform something I’ve written.” It’s surreal, totally surreal. 

It is, yeah. It’s an incredible privilege and something I think most composers strive for. When you start out as a composer, you work with samples and virtual instruments. I’ve been doing that for a long, long time, and you start to wonder when that first opportunity will be, when I get to stand in front of loads of players and have my music performed live.  

So, I’m very, very pleased that this was the first opportunity for it. I was surrounded by such talented, experienced people, from the players to the mixers and engineers. So, I’m very grateful and fortunate that Fred. Olsen helped make it happen. 

AIR Studios is the best of the best. It’s the place to be. You can’t get a better sound than a church, and the space is essentially a church converted to a studio. It has an incredible atmosphere and an amazing sound.  

While there, I was talking to Rich, our album mixer, about some of my favourite scores, including the James Bond scores by David Arnold. Then we went upstairs during a break, and David Arnold was there. I introduced myself and had a chat with him. To share that space with people like that is something you never even imagine.

It was my first cruise that I can remember. I went on one as a child, but I was so young I don’t remember it at all.  

I got much more inspiration from the experience than I expected because there were just so many sights and sounds. We recorded all sorts, from bells ringing to a traditional Sámi song.  

I expected that it would be a really nice, relaxing time, but it was more than that. There were all these moments that stayed with me. I remember being up on deck after we had crossed the Arctic Circle. Suddenly, there was snow on the deck, and you could see mist rolling over the mountains. On Balmoral, because she is a smaller ship, you could get close to these big mountains, and those moments almost become part of the everyday. I couldn’t have predicted that those smaller, quieter moments would give me the most influence over the music.

Probably White Waves. This was the last one we recorded, and it felt like we were ending on a high. It’s about the calm of the open sea, but also that rush of emotion you can feel with it, and however it connects to you. I found it quite emotional, seeing the mist over the mountains and then suddenly nothing but open space.  

Northern Lights is special too. It’s really hopeful and full of energy. I was trying to capture the image of everyone rushing out to see the Northern Lights. The cruise was called ‘In Search of the Northern Lights’, so that’s what everyone was waiting for. So, when it happens, people are suddenly heading for the doors, saying, “Go, go, go!” That feeling is in the music, which is why I really enjoy that piece. 

I’ve had a really fortunate run of being involved in some brilliant trailers, including Wicked and Avatar, but they don’t give you the opportunity to stand in front of an orchestra and hear your music performed by real players. 

It was also a much more artist-led project. The brief was focussed on how the cruise made me feel and how I could translate that into music.  

That made it incredibly freeing, more so than a typical project would be.