Masur studied piano and cello at the National Music School in Breslau, Ger. (now Wrocław, Pol.), from 1942 to 1944. He then studied conducting, piano, and composition at the Leipzig Conservatory (now Leipzig Academy of Music and Theatre) from 1946 to 1948. He spent the next seven years conducting in regional East German opera houses before securing a position as conductor of the Dresden Philharmonic in 1955. After working in Mecklenburg (1958–60) and Berlin (1960–64), among other cities, he rejoined the Dresden orchestra from 1967 to 1972. During his long tenure as conductor of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra (1970–96), Masur became internationally known and toured widely throughout the world. He was noted for his comprehensive repertoire, which featured the works of German Romantic composers such as Ludwig van Beethoven and Gustav Mahler.

A prestigious cultural figure in East Germany, Masur participated in the popular agitation that led to the fall of the communist government in late 1989. As music director of the New York Philharmonic from 1991 to 2002, he was credited with reinvigorating the orchestra and raising its standards of performance. From 2000 he was principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, with which he recorded and toured extensively, and from 2002 he was also musical director of the Orchestre National de France. While holding the two positions he continued to appear as guest conductor with a number of major orchestras in the United States and Europe.

Masur was passionate about music and conducting, and he often gave master classes in conducting at major conservatories. He was professor at the Leipzig Academy of Music and Theatre from 1975. Masur reflected on the mission of the conductor in an interview with the British music critic Hilary Finch, who reported that in every performance Masur “feels the responsibility to bring to the audience the true message of the composer. ‘For that it takes inspiration from the conductor—but also the spirit, the imagination of the orchestra.'”