Pianist and composer, he does not limit his area of interest and activity exclusively to the stage, he has also shown himself as a very successful director, primarily of fairy-tale films about the beauties of Croatia, for which he received numerous awards both in Croatia and around the world at various tourist movie festivals.
READ MOREMatej Meštrović stands out as one of the most versatile talents in Croatia’s cultural landscape. Signed exclusively with the American publisher PARMA Recordings, his accomplishments span a wide array of creative endeavors.
In 2018, Meštrović made history as the first Croatian composer to premiere his work, Danube Rhapsody for piano and orchestra, in the admired Carnegie Hall – Stern. His composition portfolio extends to music for three Croatian pavilions at world expos in Shanghai (2010), Hannover (2000), and Lisbon (1998). His exceptional work for these expos earned him the City of Zagreb Award.
Throughout his career, Meštrović has collected numerous accolades. Some of them include the Special Award from the Mayor of Karlovy Vary, the “Oktavijan” at the “Days of Croatian Film,” the “Baldo Čupić” for the best national tourism film, and six Global Music Awards. He has composed music for more than 400 documentary films.
His CD Vivaldi 4 Seasons for 3 Pianos was featured on Spotify’s list of 50 classical releases. Another notable achievement is his 3 Rhapsodies for Piano and Orchestra CD, recorded with the Zagreb Philharmonic and released by PARMA Recordings. This album marked the orchestra’s first official CD for the American market. This body of work led American critics to dub him the Croatian John Williams.
In 2020, his Piano Waves CD was honored as the Best Classical Music Album and won the Album of the Year award across all categories on the prestigious American portal SoloPiano.
In March 2022, Meštrović, alongside percussionist Borna Šercar, represented Croatia at the World Expo in Dubai. In the following month, he recorded his original composition Pleter with the London Symphony Orchestra at LSO Luke’s studio in London.
Rounding off 2022, he secured two Silver Medals from the Global Music Awards for the album Mysteria Mossoriana. He also composed the music for the Grand Opening of the Pelješac Bridge and the inauguration of the “Small Roman Theater.”
Meštrović is an active member of both the Croatian Composers’ Society and the Association of Croatian Artists, further cementing his place in Croatia’s cultural sphere.
