Since their founding in 1969 at the Juilliard School of Music, the Tokyo
Quartet have amassed a fine and distinguished array of recordings for
various labels, mostly to great critical acclaim. It was with sadness to
many that the quartet disbanded in 2013 after their longest serving members,
the second violin Kikuei Ikeda and viola Kazuhide Isomura, decided to
retire. Their final concert took place in Norfolk, Connecticut on 6 July
2013. For the last ten years of their existence, they recorded for Harmonia
Mundi, including this Beethoven quartet cycle set down between 2005 and
2008. This is the second time they have taken these works into the studio, a
previous traversal was recorded for RCA between 1989 and 1992. This present
set was originally issued as separate volumes and it is commendable that
Harmonia Mundi have issued this boxed aggregation at a more than affordable
price.
Despite the fact that Beethoven was heavily indebted to Haydn and Mozart,
in the six Op. 18 Quartets, although utilizing to some extent the
conventions of the eighteenth century, the composer begins to find his
unique voice. These are beautifully articulated performances, imbued with
elegance and charm. Tempi, dynamics and phrasing all seem just right. There
is drama when called for. In the fourth quartet, the only one of the set in
a minor key, there is pathos and unease in the opening movement. The second
movement is delicately bowed, and is one of the most polished performances I
have heard. The Menuetto’s discreetly accented first beats are tastefully
executed.
Written six years later than Op. 18, the three Op. 59 Quartets reveal a
greater maturity. These ‘middle period’ works are more powerful, profound
and proportionally larger. They are noticeably more technically challenging
and demonstrate a greater dramatic and psychological profile. Commissioned
by Count Razumovsky, a patron of the arts and Russian Ambassador in Vienna,
the first two of the set incorporate Russian themes. The opening movement of
Op.59 No. 1, perhaps the most well-known of the set, is well paced and
relaxed. After an ardently played Adagio, the finale brims with excitement,
verve and vigour. The tension and drama is saved for No. 2 in E minor, my
favourite of the set.
Of the next two, Op. 95 seems to give a foretaste of what is to follow in
the late quartets with its condensed and sparser textures. In fact, CD 5
which houses this and the Op. 74 I consider one of the highlights of the
set. Here, the qualities which make this cycle so compelling are tangibly to
the fore – sense of line, structure, ensemble and rhythmic elasticity.
The ground-breaking late quartets embark on new avenues of exploration.
Alongside the other great quartet composers – Haydn, Shostakovich and Bartók
– no composer revolutionized the genre to the extent that Beethoven did.
Difficult to bring off successfully, there are no problems here. Some
performances of the late quartets have seemed rambling with no sense of
structure. The more I listen to their Op. 132 in A minor, the more I am in
awe of their feel for the narrative of this lengthy complex work. The Adagio
is slightly slower than I’m used to but is exquisitely realized with
burnished sonority and refinement of expression. The whole five movements
are logically sequenced and integrated into a polished performance of
ineffable beauty.
Whilst I’ve always enjoyed the Tokyo’s previous cycle, which was boxed up
and re-released by Sony in 2012, this more recent recording constitutes, for
me, a more desirable proposition. Comparing the two sets in a head-to-head,
the SACD sound of this latest offering is brighter, more immediate and
conveys more intimacy. In the earlier cycle the sound is more rounded and
smooth with the rough edges ironed out. Emotions are more reined in, with
the players seeming to favour more elegance and a curbing of excess. These
later readings are more rugged, intense and impassioned, an approach I find
more appealing. I sense more robustness and grit, which are essential
ingredients. Also, the Tokyo’s playing is now minus some distracting
closely-miked sniffs and grunts which beset the previous set, especially those
occurring on bowed upbeats.
The final thoughts of the Tokyo players on these pinnacles of the chamber
repertoire can be enthusiastically endorsed. They have given me many hours
of edifying pleasure. For those who have the equipment to enjoy the SACD
sound to its full, which unfortunately I haven’t, these inspired readings
should be self-recommending. The Quartet play on a set of Stradivarius
instruments once owned by Paganini and loaned to them since 1995 by the
Nippon Foundation, Japan. Detailed analytical notes on each of the quartets
in English, French and German are an added bonus. In short, what better way
to bow out after a 44 year career; it doesn’t get much better than this.
Stephen Greenbank
Track-listing
CD 1 [72:57]
No. 1 in F Op. 18 No. 1 (1798-1800) [27.25]
No. 2 in G Op. 18 No. 2 (1798-1800) [22.32]
No. 3 in D Op. 18 No. 3 (1798-1800) [22.43]
CD 2 [73:58]
No. 4 in c minor Op. 18 No. 4 (1798-1800) [27.52]
No. 5 in A Op. 18 No. 5 (1798-1800) [27.17]
No. 6 in B flat Op. 18 No. 6 (1798-1800) [23.10]
rec. May 2006, February 2007, Fischer Centre for the Performing Arts, Bard
College, Allandale-on-Hudson, New York
CD 3 [76:58]
No. 7 in F
Rasumovsky Op. 59 No. 1 (1805-06) [40.37]
No. 8 in e
Rasumovsky Op. 59. No. 2 (1805-06) [36.19]
CD 4 [31:20]
No. 9 in C
Rasumovsky Op. 59 No. 3 (1805-06) [31.20]
rec. April 2005, Skywalker Sound, A Lucasfilm Ltd. Company, Marin County,
California
CD 5 [52:33]
No. 10 in E flat
Harp Op. 74 (1809) [31.03]
No. 11 in f minor
Serioso Op. 95 (1810) [21.22]
rec. November 2007, Academy of Arts and Letters, New York City, New
York
CD 6 [72:54]
No. 12 in E flat Op. 127 (1823-24) [35.29]
No. 14 in c sharp minor Op. 131 (1826) [37.25]
rec. May 2008, Fischer Centre for the Performing Arts, Bard College,
Allandale-on-Hudson, New York
CD 7 [58:21]
No. 13 in B flat Op. 130 (1825-26) [31.56]
Grosse Fuge in B flat Op. 133 (1825-26) [16.19]
No. 13 in B flat Op. 130 (cont. 6
th mov.) [10:06]
CD 8 [67:10]
No. 15 in a minor Op. 132 (1825) [43.32]
No. 16 in F Op. 135 (1826) [23.38]*
rec. August-September 2008, Oji Hall, Tokyo, Japan, *8 November 2007,
Academy of Arts and Letters, New York City, New York
