“Although perfection is usually unattainable, I can’t recall any other performances of these two works that are so suggestive of the word…if I were restricted to owning only one account of each of these works, I’d opt for this release.” - Mortimer H Frank, International Record Review, IRR Outstanding, January 2009

"This is not the first time the Tokyo String Quartet have committed Beethoven's late works to disc, but it is the first time with the current line-up and, more significantly, is the first time on SACD. The results are both precise and passionate, with each quartet given a impassioned and intense reading. .. It is not the last word on Beethoven's much-record late quartets, but the sheer integrity of the interpretation makes comparisons with other recordings seem almost redundant... And the slow movements are just magnificent...All round, this is an impressive set, but if you want to know what makes the Tokyo's Beethoven special, you'll find it on this last disc." - Gavin Dixon, Classical CD Reviews, Nov 2010

“the most impressive set of the late Beethoven quartets I have heard for many years…No matter how many recordings of these works you may have in your collection, I urge you to add this outstanding new set.” - Robert Matthew-Walker, IRR Outstanding, November 2010