Dvorak & Smetana: String Quartets

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In some ways, the Tokyo Quartet on this splendid recorded CD seem almost too relaxed at the start of the American...[They] respond rather better to the tragic drama of Smetana's From My Life... — BBC Music Magazine, June 2013, 3 out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 29th Apr 2013
Catalogue No: HMU807429
Label: Harmonia Mundi
Length: 53 minutes

Dvořák: String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96 'American'

Work length26:44

$4.40

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Tokyo String Quartet

I. Allegro ma non troppo

Track length9:45

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II. Lento

Track length7:13

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III. Molto vivace

Track length4:05

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$1.60

IV. Vivace

Track length5:41

$1.00

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$1.60

Smetana: String Quartet No. 1 in E minor 'From My Life'

Work length26:31

$4.40

$5.50

$8.00

Tokyo String Quartet

I. Allegro vivo appassionato

Track length7:08

$1.20

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II. Allegro moderato quasi alla polka

Track length5:25

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III. Largo sostenuto

Track length8:14

$1.20

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IV. Finale (Vivace)

Track length5:44

$1.00

$1.25

$1.60

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About

In its valedictory release, the world-renowned Tokyo String Quartet presents a pair of well loved chamber works offering a glimpse into the private world of two Czech composers. Antonín Dvorak and Bedrich Smetana – although they were sometimes regarded as musical opposites in their homeland – together they came to represent the quintessential sound of 19th-century Czech music.

Regarded as one of the supreme chamber ensembles of the world, the Tokyo String Quartet has captivated audiences and critics alike since it was founded 45 years ago. Performing over 100 concerts worldwide each season, the quartet has a devoted international following that includes the major capitals of the world and extends to all four corners of the globe.

Officially formed in 1969 at the Juilliard School of Music, the Tokyo String Quartet traces its origins to the Toho School of Music in Tokyo, where the founding members were profoundly influenced by Professor Hideo Saito. An exclusive collaboration with Deutsche Grammophon (more than 40 landmark recordings) firmly established it as one of the world’s leading quartets. The ensemble's recordingss for harmonia mundi USA have included an acclaimed cycle of Beethoven’s string quartets. Its most recent release was devoted to the Brahms Quintets Op. 34 (with Jon Nakamatsu, piano) and Op. 115 (with Jon Manasse, clarinet).

Reviews

June 2013

In some ways, the Tokyo Quartet on this splendid recorded CD seem almost too relaxed at the start of the American...[They] respond rather better to the tragic drama of Smetana's From My Life Quartet. The opening of the first movement is as shocking as it should be and the subsidiary material is rich in sentiment.

July 2013

The beauty of these performances lies in their immaculate voicing, their keen sense of tonal perspective and the way the quartet leans this way or that at the behest of a particular phrase or gesture. Neither effete nor especially idiomatic, they promote a rare musical intelligence

May 2013

this is recommendable for fans of the Tokyo Quartet’s finely chiseled approach

13th September 2013

The Tokyo Quartet offer great warmth and sensitivity, and an immediacy and intimacy which draws the listener in...I definitely give the thumbs-up to this recording.

12th May 2013

Does the Tokyo’s superb playing of Dvorak’s “American” lack the authentic Czech bite?...the playing is so fine, the glow of the four Stradivarius instruments so beautiful, such doubts hardly register. What matters is that these musicians perform the music con amore. The tragic conclusion of the Smetana... is devastating.

Dvorak & Smetana: String Quartets

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