The Tokyo String Quartet's rich, ripe, and very sensitive 1987 recording of Schubert's String Quartet in A minor and its hard, tight, and tough 1989 recording of his String Quartet in D minor have always been praised in the press and admired by audiences. One can understand why: the Tokyo's tone is constantly lush and polished, the ensemble is always easy and incisive, the interpretations are consistently thoughtful and deeply committed to the music. Although it might be possible to prefer the depth of tone of the Quartetto ...
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The Tokyo String Quartet's rich, ripe, and very sensitive 1987 recording of Schubert's String Quartet in A minor and its hard, tight, and tough 1989 recording of his String Quartet in D minor have always been praised in the press and admired by audiences. One can understand why: the Tokyo's tone is constantly lush and polished, the ensemble is always easy and incisive, the interpretations are consistently thoughtful and deeply committed to the music. Although it might be possible to prefer the depth of tone of the Quartetto Italiano or the bracing intellectual depth of the Alban Berg Quartet or the Old Europe charm of the Budapest Quartet or the rhetorical vehemence of the Juilliard Quartet, no one could deny the Tokyo is as fine and as successful in its own hard, ripe way. RCA's original digital recorded sound was cold and harsh. This 2004 remastering is much closer, smoother, and warmer. ~ James Leonard, Rovi
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