The best concert on Wednesday at Laus Polyphoniae began with some delay. The Belgian ensemble Scherzi Musicali, which would magnificently reincarnate John Dowland throughout the evening, patiently waited until the last runners from Sint-Jacob gasped into AMUZ and flopped onto their seats. Meanwhile, the fastest among us could enjoy the beautiful décor: candlelight everywhere. The atmosphere was immediately set.
And really, right from the first notes. The first madrigal of the evening had barely begun when I was sold.
John Dowland undoubtedly ranks among the greatest English composers of the late renaissance. His name is often associated with melancholy, wistfulness and refined musical beauty. His songs and madrigals breathe a very distinctive atmosphere: intense, moving and at the same time irresistibly elegant. More than four centuries later, this music proves to be remarkably impactful.
That became clear this evening from the opening bar.
Soprano Hanna Al-Bender breathed Dowland. Her voice was truly everything this music needs: clear, expressive and full of natural beauty. Countertenor Leonardo Marziotte provided brilliant highlights, including in the beautiful Can She Excuse My Wrongs. Tenor Rodrigo Carreto continuously displayed exceptional empathy and knew how to give meaning to every text. And then there is of course Nicholas Achten: the jack-of-all-trades of the ensemble, blessed with a warm, sweetly sonorous bass voice.
At the encore, he told how he was gripped by the beauty of Dowland's music at a young age. At that time he didn't know where that fascination would take him, but look: today he stands with Scherzi Musicali on stage as one of the most convincing interpreters of that repertoire.
Despite the often somber texts, as befits England of that time, this concert strangely enough made me mainly cheerful and happy! That's thanks to the musicians.
I certainly mustn't forget lutenist Lynda Sayce either, who moreover plays the recorder excellently. And neither the two gentlemen who were not allowed to (or did not want to) sing, but were all the more important to the whole: lutenists Eric Meier and François Danbois. Their contribution continuously gave the music colour, relief and that typically Dowlandian warmth.
There's little point in going through the entire programme. This was simply an exceptionally good concert from beginning to end. Of course there was the musical virtuosity, which continuously expressed itself in countless small details and refined nuances that made each madrigal, sometimes even each verse, sound slightly different. That was particularly noticeable in the splendid In Darkness Let Me Dwell. You've got to be able to do that.
But beyond that, there was also much attention to the visual aspect. The arrangement of the stage, the candles, the carefully displayed lutes, the lighting that took on its own role in the story. Everything contributed to the experience.
Above all, there was the intense contact with the audience. The music certainly invites that, but you have to deliver: draw an entire church towards you with word, song, gaze and gesture. Scherzi Musicali did that effortlessly and with visible pleasure.
It was also one of those concerts where you're asked beforehand not to applaud between pieces. And where after the first and second numbers you already feel an irresistible urge to express your enthusiasm. After the third number you even start to feel a bit guilty about so much self-restraint.
Fortunately, two rows in front of me on the left there was a "rogue" who couldn't take it any longer. After piece six, he suddenly burst into loud applause, immediately followed by the rest of the audience. A heartfelt, emotional release that was visibly appreciated by the musicians. That's the type of concert this was.
Had Dowland himself been present, I would be almost certain that both the performance and the style would have had his approval.
A top concert. Different in content and feel from some other highlights of Laus Polyphoniae, but equally impressive.
If you get the chance to hear this programme somewhere: do it.
Wednesday 26 August 2026 / 22h / Laus Polyphoniae / AMUZ
Dowland in Copenhagen
Hanna Al-Bender, soprano | Leandro Marziotte, countertenor | Rodrigo Carreto, tenor | Lynda Sayce, alto lute & recorder | Eric Meier, tenor lute | François Dambois, bass lute | Nicolas Achten, baritone, bass lute, virginal & musical direction
photo: KMSKA - Nicolas Achten - © Fille Roelants Photography / Redaction