{TABLE} Sonata for cello and piano ....................... Debussy Sonata for cello and piano in E minor, Op 38 ..... Brahms {/TABLE} NATIONALISM IN music has emphasised the distance between Debussy and Brahms, the former so French, the latter so German; but Niall O'Loughlin and Patricia Kavanagh in their recital in the NCH John Field Room made such distinctions otiose. It seemed that some of Brahms's passion was the moving force behind Debussy and that the Frenchman's lyricism was concealed in the rich Brahmsian textures. This was partly because the two players avoided all mere showiness and preserved a near perfect balance between cello and piano so that neither claimed more than its due attention. So close was the rapport that each instrumental flourish seemed to be a joint product, even in the Debussy where the cello must be rated primus inter pares. One's appreciation of both composers was enriched by their juxtaposition in the one programme and by the emotional sensitivity of the performance.