Amore, Lacrime e Meraviglia

Masterclass
Renaissance Music in Motion: Shared Renaissance Skills between France and Italy

Concert
Amore, lacrime e meraviglia. Madrigale e Opera tra Cinque e Seicento

Amore, lacrime e meraviglia is an artistic research and international exchange project dedicated to vocal and theatrical performance practice between the Renaissance and the early Baroque. Developed through the participation of À bout de souffle Ensemble (Toulouse, France) and Palma Choralis® · Research Group & Early Music Ensemble at the Conservatorio di Musica “Luca Marenzio”, the initiative combines educational activities with practical workshops, ensemble rehearsals, and performance opportunities.

The masterclass Renaissance Music in Motion. Shared Renaissance Skills between France and Italy is conceived as an immersive experience focused on the study of the Italian repertoire of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, with particular emphasis on Claudio Monteverdi and the world of the madrigale rappresentativo and early opera. The programme addresses the musical, linguistic, and physical dimensions of historically informed performance, including the pronunciation and declamation of sung Italian, solmization, reading from original sources, tactus, ornamentation, diminution, contrappunto alla mente (improvised counterpoint), gesture, stage presence, and dance.

The project culminates in the concert Amore, lacrime e meraviglia. Madrigale e Opera tra Cinque e Seicento, featuring the French ensemble directed by Stéphane Delincak and Palma Choralis, under the artistic direction of Livio Ticli, in the Salone Da Cemmo of the Conservatorio.

The programme is conceived not as a simple sequence of pieces but as a unified dramaturgical journey, unfolding through a range of expressive states. It moves from the prologue and pastoral joy, with works by Emilio de’ Cavalieri, Francesca Caccini, and Marco da Gagliano, to the tragic turning point of Euridice, evoked through Monteverdi and Dafne; from the return of life and love, with music by Gastoldi, Caccini, and the Lamento della ninfa, to the final celebrations and the invocation of Apollo and Love through works by Giulio Caccini and Luca Marenzio, where madrigal, theatrical action, and collective ritual converge.

À bout de souffle

After completing his musical studies, Stéphane Delincak founded the A.B.D.S. Choir, with which he explored a wide-ranging repertoire spanning from Renaissance music to contemporary works, including a cappella compositions, polyphonic arrangements, and programmes involving piano, instrumental ensemble, or orchestra. In 2010, as his artistic interests increasingly focused on Baroque opera, he founded the professional A.B.D.S. Company, beginning a long-standing collaboration with stage director Patrick Abejean with a production of Jean-Philippe Rameau’s Platée. Since then, the choir has regularly participated in the company’s productions, including staged concerts, fully staged operas, and hybrid projects combining theatre and music.

Under the artistic guidance of Delincak and Abejean, the ensemble has developed a particular focus on seventeenth- and eighteenth-century French vocal traditions, integrating singing, acting, movement, and clowning. All programmes are performed from memory, fostering a vivid, expressive, and fully embodied stage presence.

Stéphane Delincak

After studying accompaniment at the Conservatoire of Toulouse and completing the Diplôme d’Études Musicales at the Conservatoire of Montauban, Stéphane Delincak developed an early passion for theatre, stage music, and choral singing. During his Musicology studies at the Université Toulouse–Le Mirail, he sang as a baritone with the Chœur du Capitole de Toulouse, participating in numerous productions at venues including the Théâtre du Capitole, the Chorégies d’Orange, and the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. These experiences led him to view music and theatre as deeply complementary artistic languages.

He subsequently founded the musical parody theatre company Acide Lyrique, where he serves as arranger, actor, and accompanist pianist. For more than fifteen years, the company’s productions have been successfully performed throughout France and abroad. He has also collaborated with Le Grenier de Toulouse and the theatre company Les Cyranoïaques, notably in productions such as Thomas Bernhard’s L’Imitateur at the Théâtre National de Toulouse.

As founder of Ensemble À bout de souffle, whose activities increasingly focused on staged productions in collaboration with director Patrick Abejean, Delincak gradually specialized in the Baroque vocal repertoire, supported by his training in early music and formative encounters with Paul Agnew and Pascal Duc. He has directed staged concerts and operatic productions featuring works by Monteverdi, Bach, Vivaldi, Rameau, Purcell, and Charpentier. He also teaches at Université Toulouse 2 – Jean Jaurès and at IsdaT (Institut supérieur des arts et du design de Toulouse).