WALDO DE LOS RÍOS - OB-LA-DI, OB-LA-DA

Waldo de los Ríos (7 September 1934 – 28 March 1977) was an Argentine composer, conductor and arranger. De los Rios was born as Osvaldo Nicholas Ferrara in Buenos Aires into a musical family; his father was a musician and his mother a well known folk singer; he studied composition and arranging at the National Conservatory of Music under Alberto Ginastera and Teodoro Fuchs. He was inspired by an eclectic range of music and formed a musical group called "The Waldos" which crossed folk music with electronic sounds. De los Rios turned to work in cinema and film sound tracks where his compositions were heard in the 1967 film Pampa Salvaje, for which he received a prestigious award from the Argentine Cinemagraphic Association. He relocated to the USA in 1958 and then to Spain in 1962. He is best remembered for his ability to transform European classical music into pop music. His 1971 arrangement of Mozart's Symphony No. 40, recorded with the Manuel de Falla orchestra, reached the top spot in the Dutch charts and scored a top 10 hit in several other European countries. In 1970, prior to this success, Waldo de los Rios had already climbed the charts around Europe and America with Ludwig van Beethoven's Ode To Joy, which he arranged and conducted for Miguel Ríos. In 1971, he arranged and conducted the Spanish entry for the Eurovision Song Contest, "En un mundo nuevo" for Karina. The song landed a respectable second position and hit the charts in several European countries. A victim of an acute depression while working on "Don Juan Tenorio", de los Rios committed suicide in Madrid in 1977. All his records were released under the Hispa-Vox Label. His first recordings were made with his folk group "Los Waldos". During late 60s and mid 70s he made several arrangements for many Spanish and international famous artists such as: Raphael, Mari Trini, Alberto Cortez, Facundo Cabral, Tony Landa, Jeanette Dimech, Miguel Ríos, Los Pekenikes, Maria Ostiz, Karina, Paloma San Basilio, Los Payos, etc.

Discography:

• "Los Waldos", 1965 (With "Los Waldos")
• "Waldo de los Rios en Europa", 1965 (With "Los Waldos")
• "España Electrodinámica Vol. 1", 1966
• "Folklore Dinámico", 1966 (With "Los Waldos")
• "España en 3era Dimensión" 1967
• "Suite SudAmericana - Argentina•Paraguay•Peru•Uruguay" 1968
• "Waldo en la TVE", 1968
• "El Sonido Mágico Vol. 1", 1969
• "El Sonido Mágico Vol. 2", 1970
• "Sinfonías", 1970
• "Mozartmania", 1971
• "Operas", 1973
• "Navidad Con Waldo de Los Rios" 1973
• "Sinfonías 2", 1974
• "Oberturas", 1974
• "Concierto Para La Guitarra Criolla", with Ernesto Bitetti, 1974
• "Conciertos", 1976
• "Corales", 1977 (Postum Release)

WALDO DE LOS RÍOS - OB-LA-DI, OB-LA-DA