Owain Park's Above The Stars My Saviour Dwells for SATB, composed in 2017.

Duration: 3 minutes.

"Owain Park was assistant conductor of the RSCM Millennium Youth Choir from 2012 to 2014, and went on to form the Gesualdo Six with singers from the MYC at that time. He is now also finding increasing success as a composer as evidenced by these recent commissions.

A Prayer of Thomas Ken sets a lovely text that asks God to ‘make the door of this house wide enough to receive all who need human love and fellowship, and a heavenly Father’s love’, but ‘narrow enough to shut out all envy, pride and hate … Make it a gateway to thine eternal kingdom.’ Commissioned by Wells Cathedral Voluntary Choir, the music has a warm E major melody with a flexible metre that returns for the final Amen. In between, the details of ‘envy, pride and hate’, ‘stumbling block’, straying feet’ and ‘the tempter’s power’ are all nicely depicted.

The other two pieces were both written for the choir of Trinity College, Cambridge and are more difficult, especially Above the stars my saviour dwells. But the music of both has a gentle melodiousness and well-shaped vocal lines that make them rewarding to sing. The simple melody that permeates Justorum animae, passed from voice to voice, has poise and memorability." - Sunday by Sunday