Ensemble la Sportelle, under the direction of Owain Park, explores the themes of memory and the Passion through a selection of sacred works ranging from Renaissance polyphony to contemporary compositions.

Conceived by Owain Park, this programme, which combines works from the Renaissance and contemporary creations with remarkable insight, promises a unique, intense, and captivating concert experience. At its heart lies Media vita by Kerensa Briggs, inspired by an 11th-century Gregorian antiphon, unfolding as a moving meditation on the fragility of life and the hope of salvation.

Around this central work, Owain Park brings together gems of Renaissance polyphony : Obrecht, Byrd, Victoria, Gesualdo, alongside profoundly beautiful contemporary pages by Górecki, Łukaszewski, McDonald, McKevitt, and Pärt.

By juxtaposing the density of Renaissance counterpoint with the purity of contemporary harmony, this programme weaves a vibrant dialogue between past and present, each work forming a step in a rare sonic and spiritual journey, where music transcends time to touch the soul at its deepest.

“Media Vita explores themes of mortality, consolation and hope through a dialogue between Renaissance and contemporary choral music. From the earliest stages of imagining this recording, I wanted the programme to be shaped not by chronology but by a shared human experience: our search for meaning in the face of life’s fragility.

At its heart lies the ancient Gregorian antiphon, ‘Media vita in morte sumus’ (‘In the midst of life we are in death’), a text that has echoed through centuries of worship and artistic creation. Both stark and consoling, it confronts the mystery of mortality while pointing towards redemption. The melody and message of this chant have inspired generations of composers, and its presence can be felt throughout the programme like a thread woven through a tapestry. The recording takes as its point of departure Kerensa Briggs’ reverential setting of the antiphon, a work that inhabits this text with extraordinary sensitivity, allowing old and new voices to meet across time.

Around it gather works by William Byrd, Tomás Luis de Victoria and Carlo Gesualdo, alongside the distinctive voices of Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, Donna McKevitt and Arvo Pärt. Though separated by centuries, these composers share a similar instinct: to reveal, through sound, something of what lies beyond words.

When shaping a programme, the ordering of the music becomes as important as the repertoire itself. My aim is always to create a journey that listeners can inhabit alongside the performers, allowing each work to cast light on those around it. Sometimes this means placing apparently contrasting pieces in close proximity. One such moment in Media Vita brings together Górecki, Purcell and MacDonald. Their musical languages differ profoundly, yet heard in succession they reveal unexpected affinities, forming a dramatic arc that feels less like contrast than conversation.

I often think of programme-building in the same way one might approach a visit to an art gallery. Rather than presenting a succession of unrelated images, Media Vita invites us to return repeatedly to the same subject, viewing it from different perspectives and discovering new details with each encounter. The works on this recording offer complementary reflections on loss, remembrance, and faith, each contributing a unique voice to a larger meditation on the human condition.

Ultimately, this programme is not about death itself, but about what surrounds it: memory, compassion, longing, and wonder. I hope listeners will enjoy joining us on this journey, and that these remarkable works will continue to reveal new connections and meanings with each return.”

Owain Park