Bewilderment and delight are what the Huelgas Ensemble concerts usually cause. Bewildered by the "new" sounds of old music. Delight by the extraordinary clarity of the vocals.

Years ago, Paul Van Nevel, artistic director of the Huelgas Ensemble, lost his heart to Lisbon, where he got to know the real fado in authentic eateries. In their songs of nostalgia and longing, the Portuguese have elevated resignation in fate to art: after all, the word fado is derived from the Latin fatum, fate. The absolute king of the fadistas is António Rocha, who, according to Van Nevel, sings even better every day at the age of eighty-one. The Belgian Huelgas Ensemble shows that fado also has roots in the Renaissance. A breathtaking closing concert.