RAMPAL AND FRIENDS AT AMBASSADOR

Given the unusual combination of flute, viola, guitar and harp, the problem of hackneyed repertory cannot even arise. Thursday, before an overflow crowd at Ambassador Auditorium, Jean-Pierre Rampal and friends made the most of the opportunity to play works not often heard in the concert hall.

Their performances were so uniformly well crafted that one could almost overlook the forgettability of much of the music.

The veteran French flutist and Alexandre Lagoya offered pleasant if innocuous duets for flute and guitar by Carulli and Paganini. The two musicians have shared many a stage, and it showed in finely balanced, communicative readings. On his own, Lagoya seemed less comfortable, encountering some rough moments in rushed run-throughs of music by Weiss, Granados and Gottschalk.

Violist Michaela Paetsch and Rampal made a duo by Devienne seem like important music--which it isn’t. Joined by Marielle Nordmann, they made Debussy’s Sonata for flute, viola and harp sound like a masterpiece--which it is.

The Debussy is found in more record collections than concert halls, solely by the nature of its offbeat instrumentation. But hearing its subtle colorations in person is a cherishable experience, particularly in the sensitive hands of its protagonists on Thursday.

In partnership with Rampal, Nordmann confirmed the favorable impression she made in a chamber-orchestra setting earlier this week. As in the Debussy, the French harpist exceled in a sonata by Spohr (hampered by Rampal’s uncharacteristically breathy and unfocused tone) and in the fascinating “Raga Todi” by Ravi Shankar.

Nordmann consistently displayed casual virtuosity and innate musicality, whether in the less important dronings of the opening section, or in the dazzling finale, where she and Rampal tossed off rapid unison passages effortlessly.