Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime may not be one of Oscar Wilde’s masterpieces, but like his best work, the short story is ripe with theatrical possibility. And, in fact, Geoffrey Bush’s one-act operatic setting (1972) was inspired by a radio dramatisation. The composer devised his own libretto, which very neatly condenses the story to three scenes and retains many of Wilde’s most memorable – and scathing – aphorisms.

Musically, Bush’s language is traditional and seems focused on allowing the richness of Wilde’s prose to be savoured. Much of the music is written in delicately scored, sing-songy recitative, and the few arioso sections maintain such a low melodic profile that they’re almost entirely overshadowed by the text itself. The highlights are the ingénue’s Arthur Sullivan-esque aria in the first scene (a setting of a poem by one of Wilde’s contemporaries), and the two orchestral interludes: the first a tense Bartókian two-part invention, the second a Bachian chorale prelude. The performance, from a 1986 BBC broadcast, sounds somewhat cautious but features lovely singing all round.

The Concerto for trumpet, piano and strings was composed in 1962 but is a reworking of a much earlier Sonata for trumpet and piano (1945). Bush’s score relies heavily on the development of short motifs and often seems made up entirely of transitional passages – long harmonic sequences that never quite reach fulfilment. The central Nocturne is the most satisfying of the three movements, with moments of delightful harmonic legerdemain (try, for example, from around 4'20"). Patrick Addinall’s trumpet is miked a little too closely for comfort, but pianist Hamish Milne makes a strong impression and Bryden Thomson draws warm, sympathetic playing from the BBC Philharmonic strings.