Italian harpsichordist and conductor Alberto Busettini is a graduate of the Conservatory A. Steffani of Castelfranco Veneto (Italy). He specialized in harpsichord and basso continuo in studies with Johan Hofmann of the Netherlands and Christophe Rousset at the Chigiana Academy.

Alberto performs with early music groups such as the Contrarco Baroque Ensemble, Venice Baroque Orchestra, and Opera Stravagante. He is regularly invited to play at early music festivals like Alte Musik Live Berlin, Bayreuth Baroque, Urbino Musica Antica, Grandezze e Meraviglie, Musikfest Kreuth, Wunderkammer, Mozarteum Argentino, Biennale Musica Venezia, often in collaboration with important artists like Alfredo Bernardini, Sara Mingardo, Mario Brunello, Stefano Montanari, Enrico Bronzi, Anna Fusek, Fabio Biondi, Federico Guglielmo, Maddalena del Gobbo, Michael Radulescu, Filippo Maria Bressan, Gabriele Cassone, and many others.

As a soloist, Alberto has been invited to perform at important harpsichord collections such as the Russell Collection in Edinburgh, Musikinstrumenten Museum in Berlin, the San Colombano/Tagliavini Collection in Bologna, and the Flint Collection in Wilmington, Delaware. As harpsichordist Alberto regularly works with Venice Baroque Orchestra conducted by Andrea Marcon, and also as maestro di sala for the early-music and baroque projects and operas of the Gran Teatro La Fenice, Venice.

For more than 15 years he has been maestro al cembalo, and now project coordinator, of the Junges Musikpodium Dresden-Venedig, with masterclasses and concerts in Italy and Germany. As maestro al cembalo he has conducted L’Orfeo by Monteverdi, Dido & Aeneas by Purcell, as well as Italian intermezzi such as Pimpinone by Albinoni or La Serva Padrona by Pergolesi.

He is also a regular guest conductor for Bach cantatas performed by the Coro del Friuli, and in 2023 he was appointed one of the maestri of this prestigious choir. Since 2017 he is Artistic Director of Festival Risonanze. Alberto Busettini teaches harpsichord and basso continuo at the Fondazione Musicale Santa Cecilia of Portogruaro, Venice. In 2023 he will be giving recitals and concerts in USA, Europe and Asia.

Keyboard Suites Challenge: Bach vs Handel

J. S. Bach (1685–1750)
Suite in G minor, BWV 808
Prelude – Allemande – Courante – Sarabande – Gavotte I – Gavotte II ou Musette – Gigue

Suite in G major, BWV 816
Allemande – Courante – Sarabande – Gavotte – Bourrée – Loure – Gigue

G. F. Handel (1685–1759)
Chaconne HWV 435

Overture “Il Pastor Fido”, HWV 8a set for the Harpsichord (J. Walsh, London ca. 1760)

Suite in D Minor, HWV 428
Prelude – Allegro – Allemande – Courante – Air avec doubles – Presto