"SOME diverting entertainment," would be an accurate description of the lunchtime concert at the National Concert Hall's John Field Room last Friday. Denise Kelly (harp) and Moya O'Grady (cello) played a mixed bag of 12 pieces, largely single movements. Most of them were arrangements, though the printed programme mentioned this only occasionally.

The result was redolent of a salon style diversion from the rigours of a hectic day. So we began with snippets of Bach, Weber and Valentini, with no indication of where the music came from or for what it was originally scored. The message seemed to be: "Enjoy yourselves; but don't take things too seriously." That's all very well, but these composers took themselves seriously; moreover, their music requires more muscular, focused playing than it received.

The best music making came later, especially in Denise Kelly's fleet and rhythmically alert performance of Salzado's Chanson dans la Nuit, and in "Jewish Song" from Bloch's Three Pieces from "Jewish Life". Indeed, the latter was one of the few instances when dialogue between the players had any tension.