Longtime fans of the Tokyo String Quartet can rejoice: the ensemble they have known and loved is back in the recording business with a fourth lineup of players. In addition to first generation Kazuhide Isomura on viola, second generation Kikuei Ikeda on violin, and third generation Clive Greensmith on cello, the Tokyo has added Martin Beaver on violin. Has the sound changed? No, not much: the Tokyo has maintained a remarkably consistent suave and sophisticated sound over the years and new members Greensmith and Beaver have taken nothing away from that sound, merely adding new energy and enthusiasm. As this set of Beethoven's three Op. 59 String Quartets demonstrates, the new Tokyo is clearly the old Tokyo with new players -- the impeccable intonation, the flawless ensemble, and the directness of expression that was the hallmark of the earlier group is fully in evidence here. While some listeners may object that the new Tokyo, like the old Tokyo, is still all surface and no depth, all technique and no heart, all beauty and no soul, longtime fans will be pleased to welcome these performances as proof that some things never change. Harmonia Mundi's sound is rich and creamy.
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