I doubt whether quartet playing comes much better than in this Tokyo set of the Op. 18. Their set of the middle period quartets (RCA, 3/92) was very impressive both in terms of musical insight and technical perfection and ensemble. Regular readers are (probably painfully) aware that I am generally unsympathetic to virtuoso quartets with their thrustful fortissimos and high-powered projection. There must naturally be some sense of public utterance but the overriding impression must be of civilized discourse among friends. The performers must relate to the sensibility of the period, a world in which horse-driven vehicles and candlelight were the norm rather than jet engines and strip-lighting. The Scherzo of the F major is ideal in this respect. The first movement, too, is beautifully paced and sweet toned but they judge the tempo and the character of the slow movement equally well. The Vegh find the greatest depths here but the Tokyo are hardly less penetrating. Try the opening of the G major Quartet and you will see what I mean about civilized courtly exchanges. Incidentally, first movement exposition repeats are observed throughout the set. The first disc accommodates the F major and G minor Quartets plus Op. 14 No. 1 the second, Nos. 3, 4 and 6; and the third, No. 5 in A major plus the String Quintet in which the Tokyo are joined by Zukerman. Quite frankly I don't think that you can go far wrong with this set: the playing is unfailingly alive, sensitive and poised. The recordings are very natural with plenty of air round the image; the A major is slightly closer (and at a higher level) than its companions. Given its stature the C major String Quintet is grievously neglected both in the concert-hall and on CD, and is as well played as any one of its all too few rivals on disc.
The Kodaly Quartet may not be in the same league as the Tokyo but then their CD is not in the same price bracket either. In the commercial world the most competitive tender is usually accepted as the most desirable. If in the record world the glossiest, most expensively promoted artist is not necessarily the finest, so economy may not reside in going for the most 'competitive'. All the same I would not feel short-changed by the Kodalys, and I would prefer them to some full-price versions though not to the Vegh or the Quartetto Italiano let alone the Tokyo. They give straightforward, honest accounts of both pieces and do not try to impress us at any point with virtuosity: they are decently recorded with warm, well-bodied sound albeit more forwardly balanced than the Tokyo. All the same their slow movement misses the subtlety and dramatic involvement and, come to that, their Scherzo (allegro molto) is just a little earthbound: the difference between them and the Tokyo is a mere five seconds but artistically they are worlds apart. The Tokyo is infinitely more subtle, lighter in touch and more variety of accent and colour. The finale of the F major, too, is a bit pedestrian. Generally speaking I enjoyed the G major rather more. In both quartets the Kodaly observe the first movement exposition repeats.'