Colin Currie & Tamara Stefanovich, Queen Elizabeth Hall

Harrison Birtwistle is hardly the most accessible contemporary composer. But the South Bank Centre’s celebration of his 80th birthday might make his music more palatable. Not only will his music be contextualised with a programme that includes the French composer Messiaen, a major influence, it will also being performed by two of this generation’s most visually captivating performers of contemporary music: percussionist Colin Currie and pianist Tamara Stefanovich.

The duo will make for quite the spectacle. Serbian pianist Tamara Stefanovich is just as thrilling to watch as to listen to. Her magnetic stage presence means she can capture an audience’s attention even when playing challenging works from the 20th and 21st centuries. Meanwhile Scottish percussionist Colin Currie is his own force of nature, athletically navigating the percussion instruments clustered around him.

This performance of Birtwistle’s The Axe Manual for Piano and Percussion will be their first collaboration. Some 20 minutes in length, the piece explores the ways that piano and percussion can combine. Expect knotty rhythms and bold virtuosity as these two performers bend to Birtwistle’s demands.

Stefanovich will perform the following piano works by Messiaen and Ligeti alone. These are challenging, experimental and boundary pushing works. Though they may challenge the ear, their rhythmic complexity will take Stefanovich to the extremes of her technical virtuosity and will surely be a thrill to watch. This is a concert that’s certainly not for delicate ears. But if you’re looking to be challenged then it’s not to be missed.