Prolific composers often suffer neglect, even when the quality of the music is consistently high. Perhaps sheer volume leaves the listener bedazzled and unsure where to start. Telemann and Martinů are obvious examples, but Danish composer Vagn Holmboe (1909-1996) is another case in point. Over a 75-year career he produced almost 400 works including 13 symphonies (all well worth exploring on BIS) and many works that fall into odd categories such as chamber symphonies, chamber concertos and sinfonias.

At the heart of his oeuvre are the 30 plus string quartets, often gnarly, frequently quirky, but always involving (Holmboe was a gifted violinist, so he knew what he was doing). Back in the 1990s, the Kontra Quartet produced an excellent survey for the Dacapo label, and that same label now delivers the second volume of a second cycle with the Nightingale String Quartet. The latter did sterling work a few years back on a three-disc survey of the string quartets of maverick composer Rued Langgaard.

There’s a strong sense of stylistic progression in Holmboe’s quartet writing over the years, and unlike the Kontra...