BIOGRAPHY
“GIOVANNI MASI IS A KIND OF LANCELOT DU LAC, BOLD AND EVEN REASONABLE IN FACING EVEN THE MOST IMPOSSIBLE SIDES OF EVERY PAGE, WITH A DIRECT DETERMINATION, WITHOUT THE SINGLE TREMOR.
HE MAKES NORMAL EVEN WHAT IS NOT: HIS VIGOR OF A YOUNG MASTER OF FLAMENCO, TIDY AND TEMPERATE WITH A RATIONAL ATTITUDE”
ANGELO GILARDINO (SUONARE NEWS)
BOUND IN 2002 AND CONSIDERED ONE OF THE MOST PROMISING GUITARISTS OF HIS GENERATION, AMONG VARIOUS RECOGNITIONS, HE MADE HIS DEBUT AS A “NATIONAL PROMISE” AT THE PRESTIGIOUS “25TH INTERNATIONAL GUITAR CONVENTION” IN MILAN.
GIOVANNI MASI BEGINS STUDYING THE CLASSICAL GUITAR AT THE AGE OF 13, UNDER THE GUIDE OF MASTER GIANLUCA ALLOCCA.
IN 2017 ATTENDED THE ANNUAL ADVANCED COURSES OF MASTERS FRÉDÉRIC ZIGANTE AND ANTONIO RUGOLO AT THE CIVIC SCHOOL “A.CORELLI”OF CASTELLANETA AND SUBSEQUENTLY IN 2021 FOLLOWS THE ANNUAL PERFECTION COURSES WITH M°FRÉDÉRIC ZIGANTE AT THE ASSOCIATION “CORDE DI PRIMAVERA ” OF FROSINONE.
CONCLUDE THE II LEVEL TWO-YEAR SPECIALIST AT THE CONSERVATORY WITH THE MAXIMUM MARKS, LAUD AND MENTION “D. CIMAROSA” IN THE CLASS OF M° LUCIO MATARAZZO AT ONLY 19 YEARS OLD.
CURRENTLY ATTENDING THE SECOND LEVEL TWO-YEAR INSTITUTE IN CHAMBER MUSIC IN THE CLASS OF M° MASSIMO TESTA AND THE II LEVEL “POSTGRADUATE” IN GUITAR WITH SOME OF THE GREATEST MASTERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL SCENE, INCLUDING: TILMAN HOPPOSTOCK, THIBAUT GARCIA, ANIELLO DESIDERIO, LUCIO MATARAZZO, CARLO MARCHIONE, GIAMPAOLO BANDINI, COSTAS COSTIOLIS AND OTHERS.
DESPITE THE YOUNG AGE, SINCE A VERY YOUNG HE HAS ALWAYS RECEIVED MANY AWARDS IN INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL COMPETITIONS:
– 1st PRIZE, “ENRICO MERCATALI” GUITAR COMPETITION, GORIZIA
– 1st PRIZE, “ALBANIA GUITAR COMPETITION”, TIRANA
– 1st PRIZE, 3rd “GIUSEPPE CAPUTO” INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION, MANFREDONIA
– 1st PRIZE, “TRANSYLVANIA GUITAR COMPETITION”, TRANSYLVANIA
– 1st PRIZE, FIUGGI GUITAR COMPETITION, FIUGGI
– 1st PRIZE, 9th INTERNATIONAL GUITAR COMPETITION CITY OF ACERRA
-1st PRIZE, “EDUGUITAR COMPETITION”, ANDRIA
– 1st PRIZE, GUITAR COMPETITION “ADA NAIO” TARANTO
– 1st ABSOLUTE PRIZE, CIMAROSA AWARD
– 1st PRIZE, XXI INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION NAPOLINOVA, NAPLES
– 1st ABSOLUTE PRIZE AND SPECIAL PRIZE “GIUSEPPE CAPUTO”, NATIONAL COMPETITION “UMBERTO GIORDANO” OF FOGGIA
– 1st ABSOLUTE PRIZE, “DOMANICO SARRO GUITAR COMPETITION”, TRANI
– 1st ABSOLUTE PRIZE, 16th INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION “LEOPOLDO MUGNONE”, CASERTA
– 1st ABSOLUTE PRIZE, 3rd COMPETITION “CITTA’ DI EBOLI”
– 1st PRIZE, VII MUSICAL COMPETITION FOR MINORS
– 1st PRIZE II “MUSIC BEYOND” COMPETITION PRATOLA SERRA
– 1st PRIZE, INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION “SANT’ALFONSO MARIA DE LIGUORI”, PAGANI
– 2nd PRIZE, YOUNG GUITARISTS, CITY OF MOTTOLA
– 2nd PRIZE, 25th NATIONAL GUITAR COMPETITION “GIULIO ROSPIGLIOSI”
– 3rd PRIZE, “INTERACTIONAL GUITAR COMPETITION OF MADRID”
IN 2016 HE HOLDS HIS FIRST RECITAL AT THE AGE OF 14 AND IN AGGI HE HAS A PROFITABLE CONCERT ACTIVITY WHICH HAS ALLOWED HIM TO PERFORM IN NUMEROUS CONCERTS WITHIN IMPORTANT FESTIVALS AND MUSICAL SEASONS, AMONG THESE INCLUDE:
VIOTTI FOUNDATION (VERCELLI, CAMERATA DUCALE), TROISI THEATER (NAPLES), DOMUS ARS (ASS.DOMENICO SCARLATTI, NAPLES), CAETANI CASTLE OF SERMONETA, FESTIVAL “MARIO CASTELNUOVO-GERMAN” (TREVISO, ASOLO MUSICA), FESTIVAL “ENRICO MERCATALI” (TEATRO VERDI, GORIZIA), “MUSIC AT PALAZZO ZEVALLOS” (NAPLES), “TRIBUTE CONCERT TO FRICCHIONE” (AUDITORIUM V. VITALE), “REVIEW OF YOUNG CONCERTS” (MAN MUSEUM, NUORO – MUSICARE), “ACERRA MEETINGS OF GUITAR” (ACERRA), “CORDE DI PRIMAVERA” (FROSINONE), “AUTUNNO GUITARISTICO” (CONSERVATORY “N.SALA” BENEVENTO), CHURCH OF SANT’ELIGIO (GUITAR IN, ROME), “AVERSA GUITAR FESTIVAL” (AVERSA), VERONESI FOUNDATION , SALA PUCCINI (MILAN), ITALIAN GUITAR CAMPUS (CHIANCIANO TERME), “CONTEMPORANEA…MENTE” (AVELLINO), SOCRATIC SYMPOSIUM (UNIVERSITY OF LJUBLJANA) ETC…
IN 2020 HE WAS DEDICATORY OF A WORK WITH THE TITLE “OREMUS” BY M°ANGELO GILARDINO PRESENTED IN WORLD PREMIERE IN AUGUST 2020 WITHIN THE “ITALIAN GUITAR CAMPUS” AND RECORDED IN PREMIERE IN HIS DEBUT RECORD WITH THE TITLE “OBSEQUIO A LOS MAESTROS” DEDICATED TO THE FIGURES OF MARIO CASTELNUOVO-TEDESCO AND ANGELO GILARDINO (DOTGUITAR/CD, SERIES “THE LM PROJECT” BY “LUCIO MATARAZZO”).
THE ALBUM WAS CREATED WITH THE INTENTION TO HOMAGE THE TWO ABOVE-MENTIONED AUTHORS BY BEGINNING AND ENDING THE TRACKLIST WITH THE TRACKS THAT THE TWO AUTHORS DEDICATED TO EACH OTHER AND INSERTING A TIME EXCURSUS IN THE MIDDLE CHARACTERIZED BY THE MOST REPRESENTATIVE WORKS OF THE TWO COMPOSERS.
THE ALBUM HAS BEEN WELCOME ENTHUSIASTICLY BY ANGELO GILARDINO HIMSELF, BY THE CASTELNUOVO-TEDESCO FAMILY AND BY A NUMBER OF INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINES (RAI RADIO TRE, RADIO VATICANA, SUONARE NEWS, SOUNDBORD MAGAZINE, GUITART, SUONARE NEWS, IL MATTINO, NEWS FOR GUITAR, INTIMATE GUITAR THE CIRIACO).
“GIOVANNI MASI’S TECHNICAL AND MUSICAL MASTERY IS IN IMMEDIATE EVIDENCE WITH AN IMPECCABLE ALLIATION TO A BEAUTIFUL SOUND AND CREATIVE TIMBRICAL VARIATION.”
ALBERT KUNZE (SOUNDBOARD MAGAZINE)
“IN THE ALTERNATING TRACES OF TWO POETICS SO DISTANT, YET SO HOMOGENEOUS IN CONSISTENCY AND RIGOR OF WRITING, THE LISTENER IS GRADUALLY CAPTURED AND PROJECTED INTO AN ENVIRONMENT OF NATURAL OSMOSIS BETWEEN A BRILLIANT NEOCLASSICAL TASTE”
PAOLA TRONCONE (GUITART)
“HER PERFORMANCES ARE AMAZING: SO POETIC AND INTENSE! IN CONTRAST TO SO MANY CDS WHICH ARE COMPILATIONS OF WORKS BY ONE COMPOSER OR ANOTHER, HIS IN-DEPTH REFLECTION ON THESE SONGS IS EVIDENT, AS IS HIS REFINEMENT OF EXPRESSION.
DIANA CASTELNUOVO-GERMAN
“MAKING MUSIC IS A COMPETITION WITH YOURSELF IN THE RESEARCH AND “DISCOVERY” OF EVER NEW AND INTERESTING WORLDS TO BE REVEALED IN ORDER TO GROW AND LEARN TO “NARRATE” YOUR OWN EMOTIONS AND THEN TO “DO” ART.
GIOVANNI, DESPITE HIS VERY YOUNG AGE, HAS FULLY SUCCESSFUL IN THIS ALBUM.
YOU WILL NOT FIND TECHNICAL THREAD PASSAGES OR THREE-THOUSAND METRONOME SCALES, BUT SOUNDS, SOUNDS, SHADES, BREATHES, DEPTH OF THOUGHTS AND THE SEARCH FOR AN EXPRESSIVENESS THAT TRANSMITS STRONG AND PALPABLE EMOTIONS.
THIS, TO ME, MEANS TO BE TRUE MUSICIANS.
“LUCIO MATARAZZO”
IN 2021 HE PERFORMED AS A SOLOIST WITH THE “N.SALA” CONSERVATORY ORCHESTRA CONDUCTED BY M° FRANCESCO OVIDIO WITHIN THE “AUTUNNO CHITARRISTICO BENEVENTANO” IN AN EVENING DEDICATED TO THE COMPLETE CONCERTS FOR GUITAR AND ORCHESTRA BY F.CARULLI, THEN THE CONCERT OP.99 BY MARIO CASTELNUOVO-GERD WILL FOLLOW, PERFORMED UNDER THE CONDUCTION OF M°CARLO GOLDSTEIN WITH THE ORCHESTRA OF THE “D.CIMAROSA” CONSERVATORY.
HE IS ENGAGED WITH THE COMPANY OF DOTGUITAR SRL IN THE “GIOVANNI MASI COLLECTION” INCLUDING 3 ALBUMS (OBSEQUITO A LOS MAESTROS, ITALIAN ISPIRATION VOL.1 AND 2) AND THE FOURTH ALBUM WITH THE TITLE “ARS COMBINATORIA” WILL BE RELEASED SOON.
IT IS DEDICATORY OF WORKS BY AUTHORS LIKE L.BROUWER (SONATA ELEGIACA), A.GILARDINO (OREMUS), C.PORQUEDDU (“THE FISHING VILLAGE IN THE EVENING GLOW”, REGISTERED IN ABSOLUTE FOR DOTGUITAR AND PRESENTED FOR THE PREMIERE VOLTA FOR THE CAMERATA DUCAL OF VERCELLI) AND R.IERVOLINO (3 NOCTURNI AND THE SONATA “OMAGGIO A FRANCESCO GUARINI”).
FOLLOWING THE SCHOLARSHIP CONFERRED TO HIM BY THE SEICORDE ACADEMY OF BRESCIA, HE IS NOW ENGAGED IN A RECORDING PROJECT TO PLAY NEWS.
IN 2022 HIS ARTISTIC COLLABORATION IN DUO WITH M°LUCIO MATARAZZO WAS BORN.
THE DUO MAKES ITS DEBUT WITHIN THE GUITAR FESTIVAL “CHITARRE AL CIMAROSA” WHICH WILL BE FOLLOWED BY A SERIES OF APPOINTMENTS AT THE MAJOR INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS, AMONG THESE THE ISERLHON FESTIVAL 2023.
THE DUO IS DEDICATORY BY THE COMPOSER L.BROUWER OF THE “ELEGIAC SONATA” FOR TWO GUITARS WHICH WILL BE PART OF A RECORDING PROJECT DEDICATED TO THE CUBAN COMPOSER DISTRIBUTED BY THE MAGAZINE GUITART.
IN ADDITION TO THE ALBUM DEDICATED TO LEO BROUWER, TWO OTHER ALBUMS ARE BEING RELEASED IN EARLY 2023 DEDICATED TO THE MUSIC OF ASTOR PIAZZOLLA AND SOUTH AMERICAN MUSIC.
IN HIS CAREER HE HAS ALSO HAD THE HONOR OF PLAYING TOGETHER WITH MUSICIANS SUCH AS GIUSEPPE GIBBONI, ANIELLO DESIDERIO, CARLO GOLDSTEIN ETC…
SINCE 2022 HE HAS BEEN A “SPONSOR ARTIST” OF THE AMERICAN COMPANY D’ADDARIO.
HE PLAYS A CEDAR GUITAR BUILT IN 2018 BY THE MILANESE LUTHIER ROBERTO DE MIRANDA.
“GOD KNOCKED ON YOUR DOOR GIVING YOU A GREAT TALENT”
ANIELLO DESIDERIO (ACERRA GUITARISTIC MEETINGS)
