Distinguished poets who hand over their words for musical setting are few. Even fewer are those who show an awareness of music’s demands. On both counts James Fenton is one of the few, and we can only lament that no composer has profited from his love of opera (he did write a libretto for Thomas Adès, who apparently developed cold feet about its subject, religious sects). But Fenton has enjoyed a long professional friendship with Dominic Muldowney, the latest flowering of which is Tsunami, an RPS Elgar Bursary commission designed to “push back musical boundaries but not at the expense of accessibility and integrity”.

Even before its weekend premiere by the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Andrew Davis, those terms of reference had a suspiciously prescriptive ring. How do you define in advance what will or will not “push back boundaries”, especially while remaining “accessible”? It is as if Mummy wants Baby to grow up full of initiative while being popular and the soul of moral rectitude. If only. Tsunami is certainly accessible – so much so that anyone with an appreciation of Broadway song, cabaret or Barbara Streisand will find it harmless enough.