Tokyo String Quartet: Beethoven – String Quartets Complete (9 CD box set, APE)

Performer: Tokyo String Quartet
Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
Audio CD
Number of Discs: 9 CD box set
Format: APE (image+cue)
Label: RCA
Size: 2.32 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

Disc: 1
01. String Quartet No. 1 in F major, Op. 18/1: Allegro con brio
02. String Quartet No. 1 in F major, Op. 18/1: Adagio affettuoso ed appassionato
03. String Quartet No. 1 in F major, Op. 18/1: Scherzo: Allegro molto
04. String Quartet No. 1 in F major, Op. 18/1: Allegro
05. String Quartet No. 2 in G major (‘Compliments’), Op. 18/2: Allegro
06. String Quartet No. 2 in G major (‘Compliments’), Op. 18/2: Adagio cantabile
07. String Quartet No. 2 in G major (‘Compliments’), Op. 18/2: Scherzo: Allegro
08. String Quartet No. 2 in G major (‘Compliments’), Op. 18/2: Allegro molto quasi presto
09. String Quartet in F major (arrangement of Piano Sonata No. 9 in E major, Op. 14/1), Hess 34: Allegro moderato
10. String Quartet in F major (arrangement of Piano Sonata No. 9 in E major, Op. 14/1), Hess 34: Allegretto
11. String Quartet in F major (arrangement of Piano Sonata No. 9 in E major, Op. 14/1), Hess 34: Allegro

Disc: 2
01. String Quartet No. 3 in D major, Op. 18/3: Allegro
02. String Quartet No. 3 in D major, Op. 18/3: Andante con moto
03. String Quartet No. 3 in D major, Op. 18/3: Allegro
04. String Quartet No. 3 in D major, Op. 18/3: Presto
05. String Quartet No. 4 in C minor, Op. 18/4: Allegro ma non tanto
06. String Quartet No. 4 in C minor, Op. 18/4: Scherzo: Andante scherzoso quasi allegretto
07. String Quartet No. 4 in C minor, Op. 18/4: Menuetto: Allegretto
08. String Quartet No. 4 in C minor, Op. 18/4: Allegro
09. String Quartet No. 6 in B flat major, Op. 18/6: Allegro con brio
10. String Quartet No. 6 in B flat major, Op. 18/6: Adagio ma non troppo
11. String Quartet No. 6 in B flat major, Op. 18/6: Scherzo: Allegro
12. String Quartet No. 6 in B flat major, Op. 18/6: La malinconia: Adagio;
13. String Quartet No. 6 in B flat major, Op. 18/6: Allegretto quasi allegro

Disc: 3
01. String Quartet No. 5 in A major, Op. 18/5: Allegro
02. String Quartet No. 5 in A major, Op. 18/5: Menuetto
03. String Quartet No. 5 in A major, Op. 18/5: Andante cantabile (Variazioni)
04. String Quartet No. 5 in A major, Op. 18/5: Allegro
05. String Quintet in C major (‘Storm’), Op. 29: Allegro moderato
06. String Quintet in C major (‘Storm’), Op. 29: Adagio molto espressivo
07. String Quintet in C major (‘Storm’), Op. 29: Scherzo: Allegro
08. String Quintet in C major (‘Storm’), Op. 29: Presto

Disc: 4
01. String Quartet No. 7 in F major (‘Rasumovsky No. 1’), Op. 59/1: Allegro
02. String Quartet No. 7 in F major (‘Rasumovsky No. 1’), Op. 59/1: Allegretto vivace e sempre scherzando
03. String Quartet No. 7 in F major (‘Rasumovsky No. 1’), Op. 59/1: Adagio molto e mesto
04. String Quartet No. 7 in F major (‘Rasumovsky No. 1’), Op. 59/1: Thème russe: Allegro

Disc: 5
01. String Quartet No. 8 in E minor (‘Rasumovsky No. 2’), Op. 59/2: Allegro
02. String Quartet No. 8 in E minor (‘Rasumovsky No. 2’), Op. 59/2: Molto adagio
03. String Quartet No. 8 in E minor (‘Rasumovsky No. 2’), Op. 59/2: Allegretto
04. String Quartet No. 8 in E minor (‘Rasumovsky No. 2’), Op. 59/2: Finale: Presto
05. String Quartet No. 10 in E flat major (‘Harp’), Op. 74: Poco adagio; Allegro
06. String Quartet No. 10 in E flat major (‘Harp’), Op. 74: Adagio ma non troppo
07. String Quartet No. 10 in E flat major (‘Harp’), Op. 74: Presto; Più presto quasi prestissimo
08. String Quartet No. 10 in E flat major (‘Harp’), Op. 74: Allegretto con variazioni

Disc: 6
01. String Quartet No. 9 in C major (‘Rasumovsky No. 3’), Op. 59/3: Introduzione: Andante con moto; Allegro vivace
02. String Quartet No. 9 in C major (‘Rasumovsky No. 3’), Op. 59/3: Andante con moto quasi allegretto
03. String Quartet No. 9 in C major (‘Rasumovsky No. 3’), Op. 59/3: Menuetto: Grazioso
04. String Quartet No. 9 in C major (‘Rasumovsky No. 3’), Op. 59/3: Allegro molto
05. String Quartet No. 11 in F minor (‘Serioso’), Op. 95: Allegro con brio
06. String Quartet No. 11 in F minor (‘Serioso’), Op. 95: Allegretto ma non troppo
07. String Quartet No. 11 in F minor (‘Serioso’), Op. 95: Allegro assai vivace ma serioso
08. String Quartet No. 11 in F minor (‘Serioso’), Op. 95: Larghetto espressivo; Allegretto agitato

Disc: 7
01. String Quartet No. 12 in E flat major, Op. 127: Maestoso; Allegro
02. String Quartet No. 12 in E flat major, Op. 127: Adagio ma non troppo e molto cantabile
03. String Quartet No. 12 in E flat major, Op. 127: Scherzando vivace; Presto
04. String Quartet No. 12 in E flat major, Op. 127: Finale; Allegro con moto
05. String Quartet No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 131: Adagio ma non troppo e molto espressivo
06. String Quartet No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 131: Allegro molto vivace
07. String Quartet No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 131: Allegro moderato
08. String Quartet No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 131: Andante ma non troppo e molto cantabile
09. String Quartet No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 131: Presto
10. String Quartet No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 131: Adagio quasi un poco andante
11. String Quartet No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 131: Allegro

Disc: 8
01. String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major, Op. 130: Adagio ma non troppo; Allegro
02. String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major, Op. 130: Presto
03. String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major, Op. 130: Andante con moto ma non troppo
04. String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major, Op. 130: Alla danza tedesca: Allegro assai
05. String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major, Op. 130: Cavatina: Adagio molto espressivo
06. Fugue for string quartet in B flat major (‘Grosse Fuge’), Op. 133
07. String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major, Op. 130: Quartet, Op. 130: Finale [Rondo]: Allegro

Disc: 9
01. String Quartet No. 15 in A minor (‘Heiliger Dankgesang’), Op. 132: Assai Sostenuto; Allegro
02. String Quartet No. 15 in A minor (‘Heiliger Dankgesang’), Op. 132: Allegro ma non tanto
03. String Quartet No. 15 in A minor (‘Heiliger Dankgesang’), Op. 132: Heiliger Dankgesang eines Genesenen an die Gottheit, in der lydisc
04. String Quartet No. 15 in A minor (‘Heiliger Dankgesang’), Op. 132: Alla marcia, assai vivace
05. String Quartet No. 15 in A minor (‘Heiliger Dankgesang’), Op. 132: Allegro appassionato
06. String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135: Allegretto
07. String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135: Vivace
08. String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135: Lento assai, cantante e tranuillo
09. String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135: Der schwer gefasste Entschluß: Grave, ma non troppo tratto
10. String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135: Allegro

Sorry to differ, fungfucius, but my feeling is the opposite. To me the late quartets are the best by Tokyo, the middle are very good and the op. 18 are not good enough.
I find that the op. 18 quartets by Tokyo feel too big to be really engaging – that was their latest effort and I think they didn’t find these early quartets interesting enough.
I recommend the middle however, and especially the late.
The Tokyo interpretation of the late quartets I will label religious.
The middle are very nicely balanced and more evenly played than by the more exciting Takacs, especially op. 74 “The Harp” and op. 59/3 stand out. I like very much op. 59/1 too, and even more op. 95 (which is included by the late in the Takacs sets). Nothing compares to Tokyo’s op. 95. For the Takacs, however, there is a lot more excitement.
The late quartets? Almost similar quality or better than the Takacs, I think. Here the Tokyo has an intimate, almost mysterious feeling, whereas the Takacs has an icy, slightly more dramatic feeling (perhaps, might partly be due to sound quality, which is extremely high definition by the Takacs recordings). For the op. 18 (early quartets) go for the Takacs if you like some sting, or the Alban Berg Quartet.
Some consider the Tokyo quartet “a machine”, when it comes to middle & late Beethoven, I feel that is far from the truth, and especially so for their religious late Beethoven.