Tokyo String Quartet - Brahms: Complete String Quartets - Schubert: String Quartets Nos. 12 & 14 (2001)

For 43 years, the Tokyo String Quartet was one of the most prominent and respected string quartets in the world. The ensemble was known for its rich tone, dedication to serving the music, and commitment to teaching. Originally formed in 1969, the members included Koichiro Harada (first violin), Yoshiko Nakura (second violin), Kazuhide Isomura (viola), and Sadao Harada (cello). They all attended the Toho Gakuen in the 1960s, studying under the legendary cellist and conductor Hideo Saito. Their first impetus to form the group was suggested by members of the Juilliard Quartet during a series of workshops that they gave in Nikko in 1966. They informed the young musicians that there wasn't any permanent string quartet in Japan and suggested that they might be a good fit for one. This encounter led the group to study at Juilliard, where they officially became the Tokyo String Quartet. The ensemble was initially a casual study group for practicing and learning repertoire, but the members quickly became quite serious and dedicated. In 1970, they enjoyed a series of victories with the Young Concert Artists International Auditions, the Munich International Chamber Music Competition, and they won the Coleman String Quartet Competition which was judged by members of the Amadeus Quartet. From the competition in Munich, the group was guaranteed 100 concerts and a recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon. In 1974 Nakura left the group to pursue a solo career and was replaced by Kikuei Ikeda, and in 1981 Harada was replaced by Peter Oundjian, a former student of Ivan Galamian and Dorothy DeLay. One major focus of the group throughout its entire career was education, as they offered coaching and masterclasses at universities around the world. Since 1977 the group had been the resident quartet at Yale University, and in 1987 became the artist in residence at the University of Cincinnati. Further personnel changes occurred after Oundjian suffered a hand injury in 1996. He was temporarily replaced with Andrew Dawes from the Orford String Quartet, and in 1997 Mikhail Kopelman from the Borodin Quartet took his place. Founding member Sadao Harada also left the group in 1999, replaced by Clive Greensmith, former principal cellist of the Royal Philharmonic, and in 2002 Martin Beaver joined the group as the first violinist. This lineup continued until the group's retirement in 2013. Throughout the quartet's long career, it produced over 40 recordings, including the complete string quartets of Beethoven, Bartók, Janáček, and Schubert. ~ RJ Lambert