This is the second installment of the new Beethoven series the now-reconstituted Tokyo Quartet has embarked on. The first recording – that of the Op. 59 “Razumovsky” quartets – was give a respectable but not overwhelmingly positive review by Gary Lemco on this site, and he did lament the fact that the “Harp” Quartet was not included either. I cannot speak to this last, but I do see what Lemco was getting at. When he says, referring to Op. 59 No. 1, “while I find the Scherzo rhythmic tattoo in the cello and its subsequent permutations an adumbration of Mahler’s metrical experiments, the eerie quality of the writing, often deconstructing the melody among the four instruments, is played down by the Tokyo players, imploding rather than exploding the drama” I understand what he is getting at. The fact is that the Tokyo plays down quite a lot in these Op. 18 readings as well, placing unencumbered emphasis on the classical nature of the music instead of the sometimes violent upheavals that lie beneath the surface.
You only have to listen to the rather soft-stroked non-turbulence of the C-minor No. 4 to understand this. Hearing this same piece on the old mono recording of the Budapest Quartet provides the perfect foil; though some may argue that their particularly impassioned account is hardly representative of modern Beethoven performance practice (whatever that is), it definitely finds something in this music that this group either does not, or chooses to ignore.
The Tokyo’s approach is perhaps closest to that of Telarc’s Cleveland series, though even there, the Cleveland – always one of the more suave quartets around – is a little grittier that what we have here. The argument as to whether to treat these six beauties as bygone days of the classical period versus the new eruptive storm of the romantic era will always be with us, and both sides have their point. Personal preference will in the end serve as judge, but in this case the Tokyo is competing against itself as well. Their first go around on RCA is one of the absolute classics of the modern era, and still sounds great, even though some of the volumes can be hard to find. They always sound beautiful, whether then or now, and tonal quality remains a premium in this new set as well, perhaps too much so, as I was so enthralled by the pure luxury of the sound that I often missed out on the drama of the music. This then is the crux of the issue; the Tokyo proves so utterly charming in this music that we feel bewitched and seduced by their presumptive sumptuousness, but forget we are listening to Beethoven, and that is the cardinal sin. I would probably be more overtly distraught by this were I reviewing the Op. 59, but the nature of these first penned efforts by Beethoven still succumb to the beauties of a well-turned phrase and manicured melodies, and enjoy some degree of immunity from lack of conflicting drama that would be imperative in the later quartets.
I don’t dislike this set, and at times will probably enjoy it immensely, but it will remain a specialty, not for everyday use. One thing I can say for certain is that the new makeup of the Tokyo Quartet has done nothing to damage the ensemble’s impeccable reputation—it’s only the choices made here that I find somewhat questionable.
— Steven Ritter
