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Tokyo String Quartet

Reviews

The two new players are entirely worthy of the tradition they inherit; this was quartet playing of the highest order…wonderfully expressive flexibility (Ravel)…near-miraculous shading…dazzling display of antiphonal exchanges (Beethoven)…TRULY FABULOUS PLAYING.
South Bank Centre (London), Ravel, Beethoven (The Times)

T for Tokyo, T for terrific… superb musicianship…Technique but not trickery, passion but not sentiment – a brilliant and illuminating account.
Queen’s Hall (Edinburgh), Ravel, Haydn, Beethoven (The Scotsman)

The performance of Webern’s op.5 was scarcely short of miraculous…an uncanny ability to balance the demands of the acoustic reality…The distinction of the interpretation was the beauty in the phrasing and colouring of those elegiac melodic lines which are as expressive as a whole movement by anyone else.
Bridgewater Hall (Manchester), Webern (The Guardian)

Brahms op.51/2 exuded warmth and cameraderie, the phrasing of its glowing melodies and the articulation of its lively rhythms perfectly integrated into an interpretation which displayed the special qualities of this superlative ensemble at their most persuasive and convincing.
Barbican Centre (London), Brahms (Daily Telegraph)

Quartet playing of the greatest perfection.
Schleswig-Holstein Festival (Die Welt)

In terms of sheer sonority, the Tokyo Quartet is probably unsurpassed. What makes it so especially outstanding here is the absolute identity of sound, spirit and musical function.
Brahms Clarinet Quintet/Stoltzman/BMG (Classic CD)

This is playing of entrancing refinement, but beauty is never achieved at the expense of musical truth.
Ravel/Debussy/BMG (Classic CD)

The Tokyo have the edge; their searing intensity, acute sense of colour and total commitment to each score combine for maximum impact.
Bartok complete quartets/BMG (Gramophone)