This premier ensemble got the festival's new music

programme off to a roaring start with some challenging but accessible works.

Graham Fitkin's Hurl was a strong opener, while Dai Fujikura's Spiral Bound used dissonant fields of sound out of which primal surges of arpeggios would burst.

The work by Michael Ball, (not, in the words of the band, "the one on the telly") Serenade For Seikilos was the most virtuosic test, with fierce writing and a dense texture. Solo features led to a stunning climax.

BBC award-winner Joby Talbot admitted being new to the sax quartet format, though his premiere, Blue Cell, was an attractive addition.

Intense and still with much use of trills, the writing was reminiscent of early Maxwell Davies at times.

The most substantial work was the premiere of jazz saxophonist Barbara Thompson's Saxophone Quartet No. 1. It was the most tonal work of the evening, with bluesy touches in the first of five movements.

The third was the liveliest, with a playful folky theme over a Latinesque bass followed by a thrilling passage of ostinati from the lower horns.

Piazzolla's Four For Tango was a very successful string quartet adaptation, with all players using an array of effects including slap tonguing and glissandi. The frenetic multi-register playing suggested many more than four performers.

The lively evening ended with the lively township riffs of Will Gregory's High Life.

St Nicholas Church, Dyke Road, Brighton Friday