No fewer than two premieres were on the menu for Christ Church Music Society's concert in Christ Church Cathedral. Both came from the pens of Oxford-based composers, and both thoroughly put the cathedral organ through its paces.

Accende Lumen Sensibus seemed to suggest that its composer, David Maw, has been intimately associated with the Christ Church organ, so thoroughly did the piece exploit the instrument's possibilities. The programme did not provide any biographical details, but a subsequent check on the internet produced a surprise: Maw has been Organ Scholar round the corner at Corpus Christi College, and Graduate Organ Scholar at Wadham, but has never held a position at Christ Church.

Accende Lumen Sensibus is a muscular, angular work, and was here receiving its world premiere. It is based on the plainsong melody of the Whitsun hymn Veni creator spiritus, and is structured around the solo organ sections of the Mass. In this performance (given by David Maw himself), the opening Introit featured some sharp top reed stops, contrasted against a warm, firm bass line - a little reminiscent of Csar Franck. The following Communion movement featured quieter orchestral woodwind stops, while the final Recessional further explored the brassier side of the Christ Church organ.

David Maw also played the other work in the programme, the UK premiere of John Caldwell's Sacra Mysteria. Caldwell's style is less outwardly 'modern' than Maw's, and it was fascinating to hear an organ piece from a composer who is best known for his vocal music. Sacra Mysteria is a series of meditations on the 15 traditional Mysteries of the Holy Rosary, and it vividly demonstrates one of the great characteristics of Caldwell's vocal music: his capacity to constantly hook the attention with unexpected changes of dynamic or tone colour. Maw exploited the music to the full, as well as bringing out the deep spirituality that underlies this composer's work.