Jonny Axelsson (solo percussion) - Harty Room, Queen's University Belfast

Psappha - XenakisTass/A - BlomqvistAkrodha (Irish premiere) - VolansThe current 1999 Sonorities Festival of Contemporary Music at Queen's University Belfast is the longest yet, and its scale gives not only composers but specialist performers space to make their mark. Jonny Axelsson is a young Swedish percussionist of great brilliance and energy who is not only giving two concerts in the festival but also holding two workshops for young composers. The physical impact a percussionist can make was evident in the Xenakis, but this was not your standard physical workout percussion piece. In Xenakis's music a passion for control is combined with a barely containable rage and the depth of feeling here transformed material which might in other hands have seemed merely blatant.

After this, Anders Blomqvist's vibraphone-based piece made and effective contrast, without perhaps being so striking in itself. The title of Volans's piece means "freedom from anger". The first section, performed on natural tide drums, nevertheless built from quiet beginnings into an exhilarating climax, while the second was a beautiful, detached meditation on various metal instruments. The work, which at 26 minutes did not seem a moment too long, is dedicated to Jonny Axelsson, who attacked all these works with quietly efficient energy.