Grego Applegate Edwards’ Classical-Modern Music Review has a great recommendation for Mark Abel: Spectrum recording:

“Listening to this set numerous times reveals a composer of lyrical gifts, a crafter of vibrant melodic-harmonic landscapes of a ravishing sort, perhaps in the footsteps but not the actual shoes of a Samuel Barber (the Knoxville and such). There are some extraordinarily well-wrought song cycles and settings here, all showing a sure sense of the vocal potentials; dramatic and lyric, with heighten musical light like a contemporary sort of Impressionist pallete, for vocalist and pianist and added instruments at times, such as very evocative clarinet on “Two Scenes from the Book of Esther.” And then happily there are also some strong instrumental chamber works that show a marked lyrical gift, from the melodically mesmerizing “Reconciliation Day” for viola and piano, “Out the Other Side” for piano trio, and the “Long March” for horn, flute and piano. The performances are all you might hope for in a world premiere situation, very well done. … Do not miss this happy set if you want a lyrical smile to brighten you up.”

—Grego Applegate Edwards, Classical-Modern Music Review

See the full review at the Classical-Modern Music Review