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.