Mark Abel: 4.4.2
Delos

Given my personal inclination to “accentuate the positive [and] eliminate the negative,” we'll start this review of material by American composer Mark Abel (b. 1948) by briefly noting two things that are less pleasing before moving on to the far greater number of things that are. To begin, the title, 4.4.2, isn't a terribly evocative or exciting choice, even if it does reference the fact that four pieces are performed by, in each case, two musicians; it's also a tad disconcerting to learn that the cover image, while hardly unappealing, isn't an actual Kandinsky work but (if I'm reading things correctly) instead one AI-generated and titled “After Kandinsky.” Of course, these non-musical details have little to do with what really matters, so let's turn to the music, which unreservedly warrants the praise it'll now receive.

Like earlier ones he's issued on Delos, Abel's seventh release for the label is characterized by works of stirring lyricism, be it the expressive vocal setting that inaugurates the set or the three instrumental duos that follow. Partnering with pianist Michael McMahon on As the World Turns is mezzo-soprano Simone McIntosh, a 2023 Cardiff Singer of the World finalist and Vancouver native whose exemplary performance is an album highlight. Of course the title can't help but call to mind the long-running television soap opera, but the composer, while admitting that its four parts could be regarded as moments in one character's personal saga prefers to see them as a Rear Window-like “gallery of views” into the lives of different people at different stages in their relationships.

Romantic fulfillment illuminates “Rising High,” the tone life-affirming and verging on ecstatic—even if troubles to come are intimated by a downturn into darker musical territory. As per its title, “Might Makes Right” alludes to the ruptures that derail a relationship over time, while “Oh, What a Glorious Thing” conveys the joy and liberation separation brings but also uncertainty. The protagonist in “Counting the Years” is caught reflecting wryly on the past and the aftermath of a relationship's collapse. As a true art song composer does, Abel fashions the tone of his music to mirror the emotional content of the text, such that expressions of uplift are reinforced by music of equal radiance and episodes of disappointment are likewise reflected in the music's character. The twenty-minute work impresses as a great candidate for the art song repertoire that vocal-and-piano duos would be wise to consider adding to their own (the piece is rendered even more striking by the fact that it's McIntosh's recording debut).

The duets that follow have much to recommend them. Up first, Samantha Sketches, couples American flutist Alice K. Dade (piccolo too) with Lithuanian pianist Ieva Jokubaviciute; the second, Symbiotica, pairs violinist Jennifer Choi, a founding member of the Miró Quartet, with the composer himself on organ; and the third, A Door Opens, features the West Coast cellist Jonah Kim partnering with San Francisco-based pianist Keisuke Nakagoshi, one-half of the piano-four-hands duo ZOFO. Abel is clearly a lucky man to have such distinguished artists contributing to the project. Without exception, their involvement makes his music better.

Abel composed the episodic, tripartite Samantha Sketches after hearing Dade perform Erwin Schulhoff's 1925 trio Concertino and created it with her in mind. The combination of her nimble flute and Jokubaviciute's attentive piano makes for mesmerizing music, be it the cheery optimism of “Best of Intentions,” the piccolo-led acrobatics of “Skyward,” or the virtuosic probing of “An Urgent Matter.” Mystery pervades the opening moments of the two-part Symbiotica, organ conjuring the gothic image of Abel at the keyboard in a darkened church and setting the stage for violinist Choi. Moods shift rapidly as the nineteen-minute setting unfolds, and she elevates the material with playing that's charismatic, articulate, and expressive. In the opening movement, enigmatic introspective passages alternate with light-hearted dance gestures and romantic outpourings; during the even more wide-ranging second, the organ suggests a synthesizer in one part and a jazz organ in another, the music delving into bluesy and jazzy zones before resolving on a lyrical note. Cellist Kim and pianist Nakagoshi usher 4.4.2 to a satisfying close with the similarly panoramic A Door Opens. Also in two untitled parts, the fifteen-minute setting segues from introspective lyricism and drama to exuberance and playfulness.

February 2026