This was a brave but only partially successful fusion of art music and popular music, and those divisions extended to the audience. There were the followers of the Kronos Quartet, those adventurous Americans who have matched their interest in western experimental styles with an increasing fascination for world music. Then there were the fans of Asha Bhosle, the queen of Bollywood playback singers, whose voice has provided the mimed soundtrack for hundreds of Indian musicals. When she played the Albert Hall three years ago, she was backed by dancers and a 12-piece band, and her exuberant followers were mostly Indian. Now she had reached the broader audience she deserves, but in a far more formal setting.

That said, Kronos tried to enter the spirit, coming on in jeans and striped shirts. In the first half they gave a virtuoso demonstration of how far they have extended the range of a string quartet. They started with a drifting mood piece from Terry Riley, moved on to more robust and dramatic works from Ethiopia and Iceland, before reaching India with the interpretation of a raga from Ram Narayan, and the first of their colourful arrangements of songs by the late RD Burman, who was Bhosle's husband and the most celebrated Bollywood composer.

Then on came a tabla player and Bhosle herself. Now 72, as she proudly announced, she seemed to be quiet and self-effacing until she started singing, joking and talking at length in English. Suddenly, she dominated the stage and was acting out her husband's gloriously tuneful songs, from the gently gutsy Chura Liya Hai Tumne to the rousing hit Dum Maro Dum. She may have lacked the power of her early recordings, but it was an impressive performance, with Kronos now subtly adding backing tracks and effects, while their new lead singer teased them for being "very serious".

The combination worked well on their recent album together, but Bhosle was right. What was missing was the exuberance and brash energy of Bollywood, which the classy, respectful Kronos players couldn't provide.