Waldo de los Ríos, born Osvaldo Nicolás Ferraro on September 7, 1934, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was a celebrated composer, conductor, and arranger known for blending classical music with pop sensibilities.
From a musical family, he studied at the National Conservatory of Buenos Aires under Alberto Ginastera, mastering piano and composition. In the 1950s, he formed the group Los Waldos, pioneering Argentine folk-pop fusion, before moving to Spain in 1958 to expand his career.
De los Ríos gained international fame in the 1970s with his orchestral arrangements of classical works, most notably his 1971 hit “Symphony No. 40” (Mozart), which sold over a million copies.
His album Sinfonías topped charts in Europe and Latin America, while his scores for films like Savage Pampas (1966) showcased his cinematic flair. A prolific artist, he composed for Spanish TV and collaborated with pop acts like Raphael.
Despite his success, De los Ríos battled depression, tragically taking his own life on March 23, 1977, in Madrid at age 42. Married to actress Isabel Pisano at the time of his death, his innovative fusions left a lasting mark on orchestral pop music.
50 recordings by Waldo de los Rios you can hear on Instrumentals Forever:
(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay • A Man Without Love • Brandenburg – Allegro Concerto No. 2 (J.S. Bach) • Callate Nina • Concerto In D Major (A. Vivaldi) • Concerto In D Major (P.I. Tschaikovsky) • Concerto In D Minor (B. Marcello) • Concerto In E Flat Major (J. Haydn) • Concerto In F Major (G. Gershwin) • Concerto In F Minor (F. Chopin) • Concerto No. 2 In C Minor (S. Rachmaninoff) • Concerto No. 3 In C Minor (L. v. Beethoven) • Concierto In D Minor (W.A. Mozart) • Delilah • Everybody’s Talkin’ • If I Only Had Time • If I Were A Carpenter • I’ll Never Fall In Love Again • Jean • Jimena • La Nave Del Olvido • La Residencia • La Source • Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head • Romeo And Julia • Something • Sugar, Sugar • Symphonie Espagnole Op. 21 – Allegro (Édouard Lalo) • Symphonie Fantastique Op. 14 (H. Berlioz) • Symphonie N° 40 (W.A. Mozart) • Symphonie No. 6 In F Major – Allegretto (L. v. Beethoven) • Symphonie No. 6 In F Major “Pastoral” (L. v. Beethoven) • Symphony No. 1 In C Major Op. 21 (L. v. Beethoven) • Symphony No. 1 In C Minor Op. 68 (J. Brahms) • Symphony No. 101 In D Major “The Clock” (J. Haydn) • Symphony No. 5 In D Minor “Reformation” (F. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy) • Symphony No. 6 In B Minor “Pathetique” (P. Tchaikovsky) • Symphony No. 7 In A Major (L. v. Beethoven) • Symphony No. 9 Opus 95 “New World” (A. Dvorak) • Symphony No.3 (J. Brahms) • Symphony No.4 “Italian” (F. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy) • Symphony No.5 (P. Tchaikovsky) • Symphony No.8 “Unfinished” (F. Schubert) • Symphony No.9 “Ode To Joy” (L. v. Beethoven) • The Windmills Of Your Mind • Tomorrow, Manyna • Toy Symphony 2nd Movement (J. Haydn) • Venus • What A Wonderful World • Words •
