On the occasion of the 400th anniversary of John Dowland's death in 2026, tenor Maxime Melnik and lutenist Adriaan Lauwers present a sensitive, intimate, and deeply embodied tribute to the English composer, a major figure of Renaissance music. An undisputed master of the lute song, Dowland elevated the expression of human passions to a rare degree of refinement, blending melancholy, introspection, and great poetic delicacy. 

This program brings together a selection of his most famous songs for voice and lute, where text and music engage in extreme subtlety, revealing the full expressive richness of his language. These vocal pieces are punctuated by other emblematic instrumental works, offering moments of breath and contemplation. Through this alternation, Maxime Melnik and Adriaan Lauwers invite the audience to immerse themselves in Dowland's universe, where the apparent simplicity of the writing conceals an intensity of rare depth.