It’s something of a
coup for Biddulph to secure the venerable
Tokyo Quartet though it’s fair to say
that this label’s roster of contemporary
artists is one of the more hidden strengths
of their catalogue. But secure them
they have and the result is this Mozart
disc that presents the three King
of Prussia Quartets.
These are carefully
and often exquisitely pointed performances.
The opening of the B flat is generously
romanticised and floated with gorgeous
liquidity. Compared with a younger but
still traditionally minded group such
as the Hagen (DG) they sound more raffiné,
perhaps, though the corollary is that
the Hagens sound more brusque. The Tokyo
certainly brings a fresh rapturousness
to the middle pages of this movement
where a number of competitors find a
more reserved patina. The Tokyo opt
for a relatively cool Larghetto, pretty
extrovert and toughly sinuous, whereas
the Hagen find a touching warmth at
a slower tempo. In the Minuet I much
prefer the Tokyo’s natural sounding
rhythm to the rather cagey metrical
hi-jinks of the Hagen and in the finale
the Tokyo keeps a tighter rein on matters
of tempo adjustment and clarity of lines.
There’s no point going hell for leather
if inner voicings are blurred, as they
can be with the Hagens.
Taking these two groups
as examples of differing approaches
within broadly traditional parameters
is nowhere more apparent than in the
Allegro moderato of K590. The Hagen
treats this very much as a conversation
piece, voices answering each other in
a round of dialogues. The Tokyo adheres
to an altogether straighter model. They
tend to abjure the precise shadings
and colourings of the Hagens, preferring
instead old school verities of tonal
congruity and burnished precision. Such
a divergence continues in the Andante,
where I find the Tokyo foursome commendably
– if objectively – cool. Some may prefer
the hymnal simplicity cultivated by
the Hagens to the restrained dignity
of the Tokyo. The extent of one’s attachment
will depend on one’s identification
with the tenor of the music, though
I should add that there’s something
reminiscent of the Budapest Quartet’s
1930s Mozart recordings in the Tokyo’s
playing.
In K575 we find comparable
virtues and objectification. This is
highly cultivated and civilised playing,
relaxed in the opening Allegretto and
endlessly mellifluous. They bring out
the voicings of the Andante splendidly
and there’s some especially fine playing
from cellist Clive Greensmith in the
Minuet. The finale, as with all these
performances, adheres strictly to the
dictates of articulation and tonal beauty,
blend and projection.
The list of competitors
in the coupling of K589 and 590 is extensive.
I admire the Alban Berg but find them
rather off-puttingly self-conscious,
the Brandis are sound guides, the Quartetto
Italiano are older of course but still
very recommendable, the Leipzig a good
central recommendation. The Tokyo however
makes beautiful sounds and explores
the architecture of these big works
with consistent perception.
Jonathan Woolf
Tokyo String Quartet 
