Life
Alberto Crugnola is an Italian lutenist born in Varese, Lombardy. He earned diplomas in classical guitar and lute from the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan, studying renaissance lute, theorbo and archlute with Paolo Cherici, Tiziano Bagnati and Francesca Torelli before specializing in baroque lute under Eduardo Egüez, with further study alongside Rolf Lislevand, Robert Barto and Massimo Lonardi. From 1996 to 2010 he performed with the medieval and Renaissance ensemble Florilegio Ensemble, recording and touring in Italy and abroad. As a soloist, Alberto Crugnola has built an extensive discography devoted to eighteenth-century German lute composers for the Symphonia, Christophorus and Novantiqua labels, and has recorded for Italian, Swiss and Estonian state radio.
Impact
Crugnola has made the systematic recording of eighteenth-century German lute music his life’s work, documenting the complete solo lute output of J.S. Bach alongside sonatas and partitas by Falckenhagen, Weiss, Kühnel, Baron, Straube and other lesser-known galant composers across a multi-volume series. This scholarly-performer approach has made obscure repertoire accessible to modern listeners and cemented his reputation among specialists as an authority on the German baroque lute school.
Repertoire
Suite in E minor, BWV 996: Allemande by Johann Sebastian Bach
J.S. Bach Allemande BWV 996 Alberto Crugnola Baroque Lute
Fugue, BWV 1000 by Johann Sebastian Bach
Bach J.S. Fuga BWV 1000 – Alberto Crugnola: Baroque Lute – “Concerto” Parte I
Partita VI, Op. II by Adam Falckenhagen
Falckenhagen A. Partita VI Op. II – Alberto Crugnola: Baroque Lute – “Concerto” Parte I
Ciaccona in E-flat major by Silvius Leopold Weiss
Weiss S.L.: Ciaccona E-flat – Alberto Crugnola: Baroque Lute – Bizzozero: Chiesa di Santo Stefano
Fantasia in C minor by Silvius Leopold Weiss
Weiss S.L. Fantasia C minor Alberto Crugnola Baroque Lute