Tokyo Sonata

Ensemble 415 is a chamber ensemble devoted largely to the performance of Baroque music on period instruments. The numerical reference in the group's name derives from the pitch used for tuning instruments in the Baroque era. In performing chamber music, Ensemble 415 consists of just a few players, but for larger compositions, the number expands to a minimum of 13 and can reach up to as high as 40 performers. The ensemble's repertory has been broad over the years, taking in many Baroque standards by J.S. Bach, Vivaldi, and Handel, as well as lesser known fare by Muffat and others.

These recordings of Beethoven's early quartets are excellent. The Tokyo String Quartet's technique has never been in doubt and needless to say, just as all great string quartets, the members are perfectly synchronized, playing together as one, as if controlled by a single mind.

The Tokyo String Quartet is second to none in their interpretations of Beethoven's magnificent and incomparable quartets. Beethoven's early, middle and late quartets reveal the evolution of the great master and one can only speculate the enormous challenges the musicians must face to remain true to this titan of western music. My bet is that the Tokyo String Quartet meets the criteria!