___________________________________________________________
Note: This biography, which also appears in an earlier version on the
web site www.jcarreras.com, may be freely re-printed. However, please
credit the author, Jean Peccei, and where possible contact me prior to
re-printing at jeanpeccei@msn.com
About Lorenzo Bavaj
By Jean Peccei © 2000-2002
"Accompanied with admirable self-effacement by pianist, Lorenzo Bavaj,
Carreras offered songs in Italian, French and Spanish..."
-San Francisco Chronicle 1998
"At the end, they were standing and cheering him and his excellent
pianist, Lorenzo Bavaj, on to seven encores...."
-Boston Herald 2000.
Lorenzo Bavaj was the tireless, accommodating and often stylish
pianist..."
-San Francisco Examiner 1998
"Italian pianist, Lorenzo Bavaj accompanied, always in the background,
taking advantage of frequent chances to match the volume of a naturally
powerful singer..."
-Dallas Star Telegram 1999
"The program booklet, however, was nothing to cheer about. It lacked
biographical information about Bavaj, an impressively supportive
pianist..."
-San Diego Union Tribune 1998
"Accompanied by the alert and simpatico pianist, Lorenzo Bavaj, ...."
-Washington Post 1996
"Sympathetically accompanied at the piano by Lorenzo Bavaj..."
-The Denver Post 1999
As these review excerpts from Jose Carreras' American recitals
demonstrate, the accompanist - especially one for a renowned singer like
Carreras - is lucky to get even a brief mention in the recital review.
It seems to go with territory. An exception, perhaps, was Richard Dyer
in the Boston Globe of April 15, 2000:
"In all of these he had splendid support from his regular collaborative
pianist, Lorenzo Bavaj, a superb musician, whose work was full of
rhythmic life. Bavaj knows how to keep the instrument transparent so
Carreras never had to force to be heard, but could also supply a surging
wave to help carry the singer aloft."
Excellent accompanists are invariably described as 'tireless',
'accommodating', 'sympathetic', 'supportive', 'self-effacing', 'always
in the background'. These are, of course, essential attributes. But
excellent accompanists are more than that. As Richard Dyer points put,
they are superb musicians in their own right.
Lorenzo Bavaj was born in Macerata, a lovely city just south of Ancona,
in the Marche region of Italy. It is situated on a hill between the
Potenza and Chienti rivers. He was educated at the Ginnasio (high
school) in Macerata and then studied piano at the Rossini Conservatory
in Pesaro where at 18, he graduated summa cum laude. He went on to
further study with Stanislav Neuhaus at the Vienna Conservatory and with
Tatjana Nikolaijewa at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. (Tatjana Nikolaijewa
was a friend of Dmitri Shostakovich and one of the greatest interpreters
of the composer's piano music.) Later at the University of Bologna, he
studied musicology, while at the same time studying organ, composition,
and conducting at the Pesaro Conservatory. In 1980 he received his
harpsichord degree with 'special distinction'.
A winner of several piano competitions and prizes including Osimo,
Cesena and Tivoli, he started his career as a concert pianist . His
playing, both as a soloist and with orchestras, drew high praise from
both the public and critics alike and took him not only throughout
Italy, but also to Scotland, England, Poland, Bulgaria, Spain,
Yugoslavia, Malta, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and the Soviet
Union.
During this time, in addition to his career as a soloist, he became
increasingly involved in chamber music, recital accompaniment and opera,
working with such international artists as Maxence Larrieu, Peter Lucas,
Fiorenza Cossotto, Cecilia Gasdia, Montserrat Caballe, and Leo Nucci. In
1989, he began his collaboration with Jose Carreras. It has been an
enduring partnership which has taken them to the great concert halls and
opera houses of the world. The Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Teatro
dell' Opera of Rome, Covent Garden Royal Opera House in London, Palau de
la Musica Barcelona, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Carnegie Hall New York,
Suntory Hall in Tokyo, and the Salzburger Festspielehaus, to name a few.
Recently, Bavaj with his fellow pianists Felice Venanzoni and Guido
Galterio have been exploring the repertoire of piano for six hands, a
fascinating and rarely performed part of the 19th century chamber music
repertoire. The trio have given a series of critcally acclaimed concerts
in Italy, Spain, Germany and Japan.
However, Lorenzo Bavaj's talents have not been confined to the concert
hall. His recording career continues to grow. In addition to
accompanying Jose Carreras on two recital albums for Erato, he has been
instrumental in recording rarely heard works by composers such as
Mendelssohn, Hummel, Haydn, Casella, Rossini, Diabelli, Zanella and
Donizetti for the Bongiovanni label - both as a soloist and as a member
of chamber ensembles. He has been a director of several Italian music
companies, including L'Incontro Musicale, Orchestra Camera di Pesaro and
the Macerata Opera. He also gives master classes in piano, chamber
music, and the piano accompaniment of classical singers. One of his
former pupils was Nicola Russo, who in 1996 founded the Coro Polifonico
di Pescara.
Of the many prizes and distinctions he has received, Maestro Bavaj
considers his election to the Accademia dei Catenati in Macerata an
honor of which he is particularly proud. For an artist whose innate
musicality, interpretative gifts and superb technique have illuminated
so many performances, it seems particularly fitting that he has been
elected to an academy founded in the 18th century to foster the ideas of
The Age of Enlightenment.
See also an interview with Lorenzo Bavaj at:
DISCOGRAPHY
Piano
Gaetano Donizetti - Musiche per pianoforte a quattro mani
Pianists: Lorenzo Bavaj, Giovanni Valentini.
Bongiovanni GB 5515-2
Gioachino Rossini - Quatre mendiants e Quatre hors d'oeuvre
Pianist: Lorenzo Bavaj
Bongiovanni GB 5012-2
Panzini, Dacci, Fantasies and Divertimenti for piano with 6 hands
Pianists: Lorenzo Bavaj, Guido Galterio, Felice Venanzoni.
Musicaimmagine Records MR 10037
Verdi - Fantasie e Divertimenti per pianoforte a sei mani
Pianists: Lorenzo Bavaj, Guido Galterio, Felice Venanzoni
Musicaimmagine Records MR 10037
Zanella - Pagine pianistiche
Pianist: Lorenzo Bavaj.
Bongiovanni GB 5094
Chamber music
W. Friedemann Bach - Trio N. 1 in Re maggiore, Trio N. 2 in Re maggiore,
Trio N. 3 in La minore, Duetto N. 3 in Mi bem. maggiore, Duetto N.6 in
fa minore. J. Christian Bach - Trio in Sol maggiore.
Maxence Larriueu, Massimo Mercelli (Flauto), Luca Reverberi (Fagotto),
Lorenzo Bavaj (Clavicembalo)
Bongiovanni GB 5529-2
Anton Diabelli - Sonatina in Sol maggiore op. 70, Sonatina in La
maggiore op. 68, Gran sonata brillante op. 102, Selezione dal pezzi facili.
Guitarist: Piero Bonauguri, Pianist: Lorenzo Bavaj
Bongiovanni GB 5027-2
Gioachino Rossini - Sonate a quattro per fiati
Ensemble: Massimo Mercelli, Giovanni Picciati, Luca Reverberi, Stefano
Pignatellu, Lorenzo Bavaj.
Bongiovanni GB 5521/22-2
Piano & Voice
Italian chamber songs
Taro Ichihara (Tenor), Lorenzo Bavaj (Piano)
Bongiovanni GB 2519-2
La mia canzone - Jose Carreras sings Tosti
Jose Carreras (Tenor), Barbara Frittoli (Soprano), Lorenzo Bavaj (Piano)
Erato 0630-15516-2
Serenata
Jose Carreras (Tenor), Lorenzo Bavaj (Piano)
Erato 4509-98510-2
Jubilaeum Collection 2000 A.D. - The Jubilee Concerto
Jose Carreras (Tenor), Lorenzo Bavaj (Piano)
Image Entertainment 1438120152
Malinconia d'Amore
Jose carreras (Tenor), Lorenzo Bavaj (Piano), Ensemble Wien
Universal Music Group 4745912
Maestro Lorenzo Bavaj
Lorenzo Bavaj with his fellow pianists Felice Venanzoni and Guido Galterio in a Piano For Six Hands concert
Lorenzo Bavaj in rehearsal with Jose Carreras.
This page was last updated on: September 30, 2007
