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The Cruatian organist and harpsichordist, Pavao Mašić, early developed interest for keyboard music. After completing music studies at Zagreb University, he pursued Master of Arts degree in Organ with Kei Koito in Lausanne, and in Harpsichord with Robert Hill in Freiburg. He received further impulses in master-classes with Bob van Asperen, Anđelko Klobučar, Ton Koopman, Laurence Cummings, Daniel Roth, Luigi F. Tagliavini, Christoph Bossert. From 2008 to 2013 he participated in several master-classes by renowned French harpsichordists Pierre Hantaï, Christophe Rousset and Skip Sempé, and from 2015 to 2018 he took part in music workshops organized by Fondation Royaumont where his mentors included Blandine Verlet, Aline Zylberajch-Gester, Pierre Hantaï, Jean-Baptiste Robin, Daniel Roth, Vincent Warnier and Thomas Lacôte.
Pavao Mašić, winner of The Grand Prix Bach and Audience Prize at 2006 Bach Organ Competition of Lausanne actively pursues successful career of a concert organist and harpsichordist. Different aspects of his art include extensive interest in Baroque and Romantic music repertoire - especially music of J.S. Bach and French composers – which, combined with in-depth exploration and constant need for expression, result in rich, virtuosic and much admired performances.
As the Titular Organist of St. Mark's Church in Zagreb since 1999, Pavao Mašić is continuing a long tradition of organ playing in that historic church which is continuously recorded since 1359. At the same time he is Full Professor at the Zagreb Academy of Music. He is regularly giving concerts in South America, Europe, Russia and Israel (Bogota, Moscow, Sankt Petersburg, Perm, Basel, Lausanne, Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, Freiburg, Zaragoza, Porto, Jerusalem, Betlehem, Nazaret, Tel Aviv), with the quality of his work being recognized by more than 35 renowned Croatian and international awards. He takes part as jury member at international organ competitions, while being in charge of two important annual organ events in Croatia: Summer Organ School masterclasses that are organized in Šibenik for the last 30 years, and St Mark's Organ Festival through which more than 20 renowned world organists visited Croatia for the first time.
His many concert appearances include performances of J.S. Bach's Six Partitas BWV 825-830, Goldberg Variations BWV 988 and The Art of Fugue BWV 1080, O. Messiaen's organ cycles L'Ascension and La Nativite du Seigneur, complete performances of organ works by J.S. Bach, César Franck and Dietrich Buxtehude (all three in collaboration with Ante Knešaurek), organ concertos by Francis Poulenc, Ante Knešaurek, Stjepan Šulek and Silvio Foretić, as well as his organ arrangements of Richard Strauss' Four Last Songs and Johannes Brahms' Vier ernste Gesänge. Recent engagements in 2019 and 2020 included leading Zadar Chamber Orchestra with trumpetist Reinhold Friedrich in gala concert evening with concerti for one, two and three trumpets, performances of George Frideric Handel's concerti for organ and orchestra with Hervé Niquet and Croatian Baroque Orchestra at Dubrovnik Summer Festival, performance of solo part of Camille Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony with mo. Charles Dutoit and Slovenian Philharmonics, as well as gala concert with Max Emanuel Cenčić and Croatian Baroque Orchestra at prestigious BOZAR Concert Hall in Bruxelles. Upcoming performances in 2020 include J.S. Bach's Goldberg Variations BWV 988 on harpsichord, as well as organ transcriptions of Moussorgsky's Pictures at the Exhibition and orchestral music by Debussy and Wagner.
Pavao Mašić records for Croatian Radiotelevision as well as for the label Croatia Records; his discography includes five solo albums that have been awarded with 11 National Music Awards. Two albums, 1685-Bach, Handel, Scarlatti (2011) and J.S. Bach: The Art of Fugue BWV 1080 (2017) won prestigious title of The Best Classical Music Album. Hist most recent double CD presents complete organ works by Franjo Dugan, composer and organist both active in Zagreb Cathedral and St. Mark's Church in the first half of 20th century. At the same time he is intensively working on preparation and publication of new score edition of complete organ works of two important Croatian composers, Anđelko Klobučar and Franjo Dugan, both active in 20th century as titular organists of Zagreb Cathedral. |
