Peter Croton grew up in the USA and presently lives in Switzerland. He is an active performer in Europe and the USA as soloist and chamber musician, in styles ranging from Renaissance to folk music. His original music ranges from modern lute songs to songs in a folk/pop/jazz style. He teaches lute, guitar continuo & historical performance practice at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and at the Conservatories of Music in Basel and Bern, Switzerland.

 

As a child of six he began performing as a folk guitarist and singer. Peter’s musical roots in folk and jazz music were supplemented by formal studies of lute and classical guitar with Dr. Loris Chobanian at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music (USA), and with Eugen Dombois and Hopkinson Smith at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. His expressive guitar and lute playing, as well as his original compositions reflect these multifaceted influences.

 

In 1984 he won first prize at the "Erwin Bodky" competition for Early Music in Boston, and has also won prizes at the international lute competition "Guitar '84" in Toronto and at the international competition "Concert Artists' Guild" in New York City. Since 1984 he has been involved in numerous CD, television and radio productions as soloist and chamber musician (Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, Virgin, Channel Classics, Guild, Musicaphon, Balance and Proprius).

 

He has performed and recorded with Theresia Bothe (www.bothecrotonduo.com), Derek Lee Ragin, Susanne Rydén, René Jacobs, Andreas Scholl, Guillemette Laurens, and Nigel Rogers, among others. He has appeared at international festivals including: Rheingau Musik Festival, Kissinger Sommer, Festspiele Europäische Wochen Passau, Tage Alter Musik Regensburg, Staufener Musikwoche, Innsbrucker Festwochen der alten Musik, Niedersächsische Musiktage, Mosel Festwochen, Kultursommer Nordhessen, Les Arts Jaillissants – Savoie, Festival des Cordes Sensibles, Early Music Vancouver and Early Music Guild Seattle.

 

In 2001 six of his compositions were published by the German Lute Society, and his tutor, "Figured Bass on the Classical Guitar" has been published by Amadeus in Switzerland. He has also recorded and performed new works written for the lute by Gwyneth Walker and Loris Chobanian. His newest CD, Bach on the Italian Lute, has recently been released by Guild, and four new settings of texts by William Shakespeare have been just published by Tree Edition.

 

 

Excerpts from reviews of concerts

"Peter Croton demonstrated effortless technical command and a high degree of refinement."

   The Boston Globe

 

"Lyrical and virtuosic... Croton played with an astonishing range of tone colors and dynamics.  Also astonishing was the variety of expression, from lyrical intimacy to extroverted virtuosity of the highest degree."

   Nürnberger Nachrichten

 

"Croton demonstrated a high level of virtuosity and a well developed sense for exciting, dramatic playing."

   Badische Zeitung

 

"His accompaniments were sensitive, and his solo performances were excitingly extravagant, especially the highly virtuoso Toccatas by Piccinini."

   Der Tagesspiegel (Berlin)"

"With toccatas by Girolamo Kapsperger and Alessandro Picinnini, Croton showed himself to be a lyric poet of the lute. "

   Saale-Zeitung (Festival Bad Kissingen)

 

"Honey-golden lute sound."

   Basellandschaftlicher Zeitung

As well as providing Ragin with sensitive accompaniment, Croton demonstrated consummate musicianship as soloist, composer, and arranger."

   The Georgia Straight (Vancouver, B.C.)

 

"Derek Lee Ragin’s accompanist was the equally renowned Peter Croton, who created a fine, almost orchestral texture.   Croton played with great expression, variation and fluency."

   Main-Echo (Würzburg)

 

 

Excerpts from reviews of CDs

 

Bach on the Italian Lute

"…The outcome was stunning: it turned out that Bach’s music works quite well on the Italian lute... How beautiful Bach’s lute suites can sound on the Italian lute is demonstrated by the present recording by Peter Croton, which from beginning to end is an exquisite listening experience… Thanks to Croton’s subtle and transparent playing, the Suite in g-minor, perhaps the most pensive of Bach’s works for the lute, comes across not at all as cumbersome, but rather as stimulating, leading the listener to reflect, to step back a moment and listen in a concentrated manner. The Preludium from Suite 1 for cello, adapted by Peter Croton for Italian lute, signals the transition to a lighter, more extroverted mood, a mood which, thanks to his elegantly attractive manner of play, Croton emphasizes but never exaggerates. And in the dance movements Croton uses the entire range of dynamic resources offered by the liuto attiorbato in order to do justice to Bach’s varied musical language. Peter Croton concludes the recording with his own adaptation of “Bist du bei mir” from the Anna Magdalena Bach Book for Clavier… a fitting close to this program in which Peter Croton’s exceptionally refined and singing manner of playing is especially highlighted.

   CONCERTO - The Magazine for Early Music, June/July 2009

"Croton's performances are superb. Not only does he play very cleanly, with very few loud finger squeaks or mis-struck notes, but his solid, round tone and measured, unrushed manner allow the instrument's dark, sonorities to saturate Bach's harmonies."

   International record review

“On this album, the excellent Peter Croton sheds new light on these works by presenting them on an Italian Lute, an instrument also used in Germany during Bach’s lifetime. The selected works are performed without modification and in the original keys. This is a recording of intimate timbres and subtle expression, evoking the Lautenwerk, a keyboard instrument for which J.S. Bach apparently composed these works. These are intelligent, sensitive and lyrical performances of some of the most challenging and expressive music ever written for the lute. The beautifully recorded pieces are wonderfully calming and prove beyond doubt that ‘Bach teaches us how to be pious’.”

    www.new-classics.co.uk

 

“(Croton’s) approach emphasizes a spoken, rhetorical manner of playing and use of suitable affect in the dance movements. This results is a very warm, lively interpretation that often allows the music an astonishing amount of breathing space, while lending the dances a feeling of supple and spirited movement. The result is an extraordinarily differentiated recording, which makes undisturbed, concentrated listening a pleasurable experience.”

    German Lute Society Lauten-Info 1/2009

 

"Goal of this innovative CD: to play Bach on the archlute … The overall result is that Bach’s music sounds particularly easy and comfortable in the original keys… the Suite BWV 997  is tranquil, the resonances of the long bass strings permitting moderate tempi and therefore a good understanding of the compositional structures. The Suite BWV 995 in g-minor (especially the Prelude) sounds even better, being rich in noble harmonies and solemn cadences. The très viste sounds clear, and the dances flow naturally, with good spirit, good rhythmical sense, and particularly well-realized and well-integrated ornaments. The Suite BWV 1007 for cello (arranged by Peter) reconciles us with the single strings because they approximate more closely the deep and compact sonority of the original instrument. The interpretation is very lively (Courante, Menuets) and even more fluid and less heroic than on the cello! The disc concludes with “Bist du bei mir” from the Anna Magdalena Bach Book, a beautiful song of popular origin, arranged here with majestic arpeggios which become more and more luminous. Bravo to Peter Croton for this innovative and pleasing CD!”

    The French Lute Society, March 2009

“Musically the performances work very well… very liquid phrasing with a minimum of noise. Croton writes that his early background as a folk and jazz guitarist enabled him to understand the rhetorical modes of Baroque music, and indeed his performances have a uniquely expressive, rhythmically flexible quality… It's not a question of direct jazz influence, but of an effort to embody a mood and communicate it to a listener. The sound is another strong point. Grasping the point, seemingly elusive for so many musicians, that pieces of this kind would have been performed in a small "chamber" with likely wooden walls, not in a church, Croton chooses a wood-paneled room in a Basel studio and creates an intimate sound environment that perfectly complements his performances…” 

   All Music Guide, James Manheim

“Croton is good, clearly enjoying and understanding the music… The Guild recording is good, catching the darker tones of Croton’s instrument very well… The inclusion of a transcription of Bist du bei mir as the short closing item is a real bonus. It’s well played and correctly attributed to Heinrich Stölzel. I can’t imagine anyone being disappointed with the purchase of this Guild recording; I’ve enjoyed hearing it.”

    musicweb-international

 

Italian Lute Songs

"...tantalizingly programmed and brilliantly executed."

   Classic CD

 

The Renaissance Lute - Yesterday and Today

"Peter Croton does not limit the expressive range of his instrument. The fantasies by Francesco da Milano sound unusually fresh and lively, and the works by John Dowland are perfect examples of imaginative and tastefully differentiated performances."

   FonoForum

 

Sweeter Than Roses

"The one common feature is Croton's excellent lute playing...he makes the most elaborate passages sound effortless"

    Lute News (The Lute Society, London)

 

Music With Her Silver Sound

"Croton displayed his mastery of the lute with some very agile finger work and excellent projection of the themes in the contrapuntal sections, bringing out the interplay of the melodic lines with clarity."

   The Recorder Magazine

 

I'll Sing a Song For You

"Irish-Canadian vocalist Theresia Bothe grew up in Mexico. Guitarist/vocalist Peter Croton is a U.S. native who was trained at the Oberlin Conservatory, and has won awards all over North America during his travels. Both live in Switzerland, and while all of these facts may account for the folk/pop/jazz mix you hear on this recording, it does not tell the complete story. While heavier on the folk/pop component, there's a sweetness and light to the original material heard throughout. Bothe is distinctively Irish in her vocal style, rolling r's and brandishing the clipped, bold and bright bonnie tones associated with Celtic singing. Croton is similar to Gordon Lightfoot vocally, while on the guitar his approach is fairly basic within the folk tradition, though at times it's clear he's heard his share of the mellower side of Kenny Burrell. The most surprising ideas, though much less traditionally mainstream jazz than one might think, are the tributes to Langston Hughes and Billie Holiday. The duo play an homage to the legendary poet "On The Death Of Langston Hughes," while the sad "Song For Billie Holiday" is in 3/4 time. A New Orleans shuffle in a quartet setting shows the best improvisation and swing during "Life Is Fine" as sung by Croton, Bothe's feature on the lullaby "Song To A Sleeping Child" is the most tender tune of the date, and during the rock oriented song of departure "You're Running Away Again," both sing in harmony. The remainder of the program leans to folk, especially Croton's impressive acoustic guitar finger style triplet forms on "Land Of Dreams" with a more ethereal Bothe, while "Just Another Shoulder To Lean On" markedly molds the swing and pop shells into a unified whole."

  All Music Guide, Michael G. Nastos

 

 

"Bothe sings from her heart with a strong rich voice that will excite folk music lovers as they expand their envelope. Our favorite was "Another day in life with you" with a cool guitar intro by Peter."

  O’s Place Jazz Newsletter, D. Oscar Groomes

 

"This band creates a unique blend of folk pop and jazz. Bothe and Croton's music is formed from the stylings of Billy Holiday and Kenny Burrell. The voice of Theresia Bothe is a bit like Judie Collins and Joan Baez, so that definitely fits with the theme of folk jazz.

 

There also seems to be a dose of poetry-laced lyrics infused in some of these songs. "On the death of Langston Hughes" has a slow melodic sound that is more folk than jazz, but incorporates both styles. "Song for Billie Holiday" has impressive guitar accompaniment with strong lyrics. The chordings chosen by Croton fit this song to a tee. A subtle echo effect lends merit to this track. The guitar tone is good and a slight tremolo sound is present. "I'll Sing a Song for You" has an intro with jazz chords. It moves into a faster ballad sung by Bothe and has cool jazz drumming and upright bass on the track.

 

The CD "I'll Sing a Song for You" has impressive vocals and jazz guitar playing, which will make it appeal to fans of folk-laden jazz."

  Metro Spirit, Rich McCracken II

 

 

"Two talented pros travel the singer/songwriter route, with a little genre splicing for flavor, and deliver a nice set of originals that goes down well and never comes across as over reaching.  Tackling life’s big questions in song, this is the kind of under the radar, neo-folk that gives you the easy kind of music you can kick back with but isn’t fluff."

  MIDWEST RECORD, Chris Spector

 

"I really like Croton's guitar work, very much in the tradition of many jazz guitarists throughout the years."

  The Run-Off Groove,  John Book