“Having had a major critical success with his song cycle The Dream Gallery, Mark Abel has written his first opera, Home Is a Harbor. The three-act piece has not yet been staged (but) I am in hopes of seeing it performed because its exquisite score cries out for the addition of visual creativity.… In the tradition of composers like Benjamin Britten, Abel’s most enchanting music describes the mysteries of the sea, its mists and its moods. The libretto is replete with current speech and shows the use of current technology such as texting at the dinner table, but it also incorporates short melodic numbers in arioso style and beautifully harmonized duets. The orchestral forces of the La Brea Sinfonietta under the direction of Benjamin Makino are small but potent. Abel’s use of organ, woodwinds, and percussion to provide musical colors is most ingenious.… The second work on the disc is Abel’s song cycle The Palm Trees Are Restless. … Grammy winner Hila Plitmann and virtuoso pianist Tali Tadmor bring cool, silver-clad sounds to The Storm Drain, a rhythmic pulse to Los Angeles, folk-like melodies to Crater Light, the pathos of a plaintive lament to Shura, along with spiky rhythms and dramatic punch to The Great Divorce. … Abel’s musical setting echoes the melodic beauty of Les Six as he weaves a colorful tapestry around Gale’s poetic descriptions of the sadder side of life on the West Coast. This Delos recording has clear, pristine sound. I think opera enthusiasts and fans of new music will want to own this two-disc set.” —Maria Nockin, Fanfare Magazine

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