"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)

"..he joined an excellent Italian pianist, Lorenzo Bavaj..."
(Dallas Morning News 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. In these pages we hope to redress the balance and bring Lorenzo Bavaj out of the background and into the spotlight.

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.

Macerata was originally built in the 10th century on the site of the ruined Roman city of Helvia Recina. It reached its 'Golden Age' in the 16th Century when a university was founded and many of its most important churches, palaces, and piazzas were built. In addition to being an important agricultural center, the town's industries also include the manufacture of musical instruments. As in most Italian towns and cities, music was central to Macerata's cultural life. Its churches and monasteries contain 15 organs of historical importance, many of them made in the city itself and the earliest dating from 1706. The early 19th century saw the construction of the Sferisterio, a neo-classical open-air theater and arena which is today the home of Macerata Opera. Now in its 32nd season, it attracts world class singers and is a popular destination on the summer festival circuit.

Lorenzo Bavaj 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.

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 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.

The city of Macerata
Macerata Opera
The Music Conservatory in Pesaro
Bongiovanni Records