String Quartets, Vol. 4 ~ CD ~ Alfred Hill

String Quartets, Vol. 4 Naxos 8.572844 Composer: Alfred Hill Lyricists: Alfred Hill, Mass Text Conductor: Mark Dorrell Ensemble: Dominion String Quartet Artists: Chris Berentson, Amelia Berry, Annabelle Cheetham, Richard Greager, Linden Loader, Richard Mapp, Daniel O'Connor, Keith Small, Bryony Williams Alfred Hill was the doyen of Australasian composers, and his exploration of the string quartet demonstrates the range of his imagination. Both the Tenth and Eleventh quartets were written in 1935, but they offer richly differing affiliations. No. 10 brings a classical formality fused with hints of Gershwin, and a remarkable last movement which recalls the three earlier movements in rapid succession in just 32 bars, whereas No. 11 marks the height of Hill’s impres­sionist refinement, complete with a characteristically beautiful slow movement. The ‘Life’ Quintet, with its vocal finale, was written in 1912, a fascinating experiment later reworked into a symphony. String Quartets, Vol. 4 Review Hill’s Quartets are often deeply conservative, recalling, sometimes quite vividly, Beethoven, Dvořák and Tchaikovsky—and that is certainly true of the retrospective Tenth Quartet. In the Eleventh, on the other hand, the soundworld is more modern, with more of the rich, exotic tonality of Strauss or early Shostakovich making its presence felt. Nonetheless, both Quartets are almost anachronistically late-Romantic, and given also the fact that they are mellifluous, beautifully crafted and basically wistful in character, likely therefore to appeal to the widest of audiences. The Dominion Quartet was formed in 2006 to record works by New Zealand composers. Hill, as an honorary Kiwi, is done proud by their spirited and thoughtful espousal. Byzantion – MusicWeb International