HILL String Quartets: Nos. 1–3 • Dominion Str Qrt • NAXOS 8.570491 (65:41)

This is the first volume devoted to Alfred Hill’s 17 string quartets. Hill (1869–1960) was born in Australia, spent his formative years in New Zealand, and studied in Leipzig. He was prolific as a composer and wrote operas, symphonies, concertos, choral works, and much more. (By the way, Hill is usually referred to as having been born on December 16, 1870, but research seems to have proved that his birth was exactly one year earlier.)

His music is likened to that of Dvořák and Tchaikovsky. Spot on. It is. And none the worse for that. These three four-movement string quartets, each playing for around 20 minutes, are quite delightful: folksy, tuneful, and elegant, and written with no other aim except to be enjoyed. Hill’s writing is carefully crafted, thoroughly idiomatic, and fluent without being slick; and he seems to have a wealth of melody and suggestion by his side. A European Romantic in essence, but underpinned by “antipodean nationalism [and] Maori themes” (to quote from the booklet note). This latter, while no doubt important to the composer, is absorbed into very traditional-sounding string quartets, really quite Slavic, and here distinguished by some wonderful invention and fine craftsmanship.

The performances by the Dominion Quartet seem excellent and committed, and the close recording is very well judged.

FANFARE: Colin Anderson