Years ago I was gently castigated by a colleague for bemoaning the abundance of Beethoven symphony recordings at a time when there was still so much good music yet be recorded, or at least to be recorded more than once. Seeing this valedictory CD by the Tokyo Quartet of the two most popular chamber works by their respective composers prompted a similar reaction. And yet, the actual listening process confirmed what my colleague had said to me regarding Beethoven: that there’s always room for another recording if it enriches our experience of a particular work, or yields some special insights.

That is certainly the case here, from the fruity viola exclamations at the beginning of the American Quartet to the painful resignation at the close of Smetana’s First. 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 – emotional intelligence, too – much as you’ll hear from the way they ease the tempo for the second subject in the American Quartet’s first movement. The Tokyo Quartet’s ability to change complexion, sound-wise, registers in the movement’s development section, which darkens significantly. Sensitive voicing again pays high dividends at the start of the Lento and the scherzo’s eerie second subject is played with a winning trance-like quality.

Smetana’s First enjoys some memorably rich textures, the restless sense of foreboding present right from the opening bars. In the polka second movement one or two chords aren’t absolutely true, intonation-wise (ie the held chord at around 0'42" on tr 6), but that’s being very picky and the rustic spirit is well captured. The Largo is intensely lyrical, the finale admirably light on its feet, gaining in excitement before the dramatic moment when a sustained harmonic E (tr 8, 3'32") signals the fateful ringing in Smetana’s ears and his oncoming deafness. For the most part, it’s an excellent performance though for that extra quota of drama I’d bear in mind the Smetana Quartet live (BBC Legends). As to the American, aside from the complete Dvořák quartet sets by the Panocha and Prague Quartets, I’d rate the Vogler and the Pavel Haas Quartets on an equal footing with the Tokyo, though the many positive qualities noted above are more than enough to justify investing in this beautifully recorded new release.