Percussion enthusiasts are in for a rare and exotic treat this weekend, when Jigu! Thunder Drums of China, featuring the award-winning Shanxi Jiangzhou Drum Arts Ensemble ("Jigu!" to Americans audiences) comes to the Nazareth College Arts Center. Famous throughout its homeland of China, Jigu! has earned rave reviews elsewhere in Asia, in Europe, and in North America. A critic at a recent performance at the Hong Kong Art Festival described Jigu's musical repertoire as "dramatic and heart-stopping," and the show as being "varied as the beats and the drums themselves."

Members of the ensemble, whose skills are passed down from generation to generation, are all between 18 and 30 years old and come from 28 villages in the Shanxi Province, just west of the Taihang mountains. Most professional musicians in China begin their musical training at approximately age 6, but they are not chosen as members of a professional performing troupe until they are between 16 and 18. Training is rigorous, and if they are selected to attend a special music school the students often move far away from home, family, and friends. Six days out of seven, they attend general education classes in the morning, and dedicate long afternoons to perfecting their musical art.

In Chinese, "jigu" means "to beat or touch the drum," and indeed the ensemble's engaging show summarizes thousands of years of Chinese musical and theatrical tradition in which drumming occupies an important place. During the Shang dynasty (1523-1028 B.C), percussion music was a form of divination. Special ceremonial songs and dances were performed by village "seers," in order to honor the gods or to invoke their beneficent influence. By the time of the Han dynasty (c. 202 B.C.), music that once belonged to the realm of ritual had evolved into a stylized type of court entertainment in which mythical stories and famous fables were "acted out" by wrestlers, clowns, and acrobats, with evocative musical accompaniment. These courtly entertainments were the precursors of modern Peking Opera, an art form originating in the mid-19th century.

The percussion section is an important part of Chinese opera. Because of its wide array of sounds, the drum orchestra is capable of embodying and expressing the stories and meanings of Opera through the purely musical elements of rhythm, pitch, timbre, and style. The formal Yuchui style (the drum and wind style), for example, is used for serious occasions such as weddings and funerals, to convey solemnity and assure good fortune and peace. The more light-hearted and informal Saishe style (festival style), originally belonging to the peasant classes, is used to invoke good weather and rich harvests.

Jigu's rich and varied program embraces both the ceremonial and the popular styles of percussion music. Their virtuosic command of style and technique tells wordless tales of man and nature, war and peace, love and delight - all through an imaginative fusion of music, movement, color, and costume.

For example, Chinese history, legend, and musical tradition form the basis of the opening number in Jigu's show. The art of drumming can be traced back centuries in the city of Jiangzhou, where the Emperor Li Shimin (Tang Dynasty, 618-907 A.D.) was famous for his percussion orchestra. "The Qin Emperor Assembles His Army" (composed by Wang Bao Can, Jing Jian Schu, and Huai Hai) makes reference to this famous figure. Featuring tight drum tones and clanging gongs, the piece narrates the story of the Li Shimin as he answers the martial call of the West Wind and leads his vast army into the northern desert.

In a similarly historical vein, "Boatmen of the Yellow River" (by Zhan Lie) relies upon a full symphony of percussive sounds to evoke the spirit of courage and cooperation characterizing a centuries-old story of the boatmen.

Although history and patriotism are prominent themes in Jigu!'s repertoire, not all their selections are so weighty. "Dogs Chasing Ducks" (by Guo Min Zhi and Liu Jin Zhu), and "A Mouse-Fairy Wedding" (by Hao Shi Xun) create sound images that are both picturesque and humorous. "Double Dragon Pearl Music" (by Wang Bao Can) is at once a showpiece for a solo artist and a wish of good luck. To all who hear it, Jigu! says: "Let the blessing of the Yellow River People be upon you!"

Jigu! Thunder Drums of China perform Sunday, May 6, at 7:30 p.m. at Nazareth College Arts Center, 4245 East Avenue, 389-2170, $40-$45. www.naz.edu/artscenter.