Daniel Rivera

Daniel Rivera made his Italian debut in the 70s thanks to some very important international competitions he was awarded in, like the “Ferruccio Busoni”, the “Dino Ciani”, the “Ettore Pozzoli” the “Rina Sala Gallo”, the “Cata Monti”, the “Beethoven” in Wien achieving three absolute first prizes, two second prizes and several other special mentions.

He then started a prestigious piano concert career, performing in the most important theatres worldwide – among them the Sala Philharmonia in Kiev, the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, the Park Musik Hall in Dallas, the Musikverein in Wien, the Teatro Colòn in Buenos Aires. Nowadays Daniel Rivera is widely renowned and highly esteemed worldwide within the piano concert landscape, considered a pioneer of piano challenges and a performer of programs and works very rarely played; this interest hit the highest spots in 2002, when he presented – in a world premiere performance – his transcription of the “Rite of Spring” by Stravinsky confirming once again his extraordinary technique and interpretative skills.

This impressive and worldwide unique transcription captured the interest of Martha Argerich, who personally invited Rivera to the “Progetto Martha Argerich” in Lugano, where he performed in June 2009. Since that time, the link with the legendary Argentinian pianist turned into an intense artistic cooperation. With Martha Argerich, Daniel Rivera performed in piano duo (two pianos and piano 4 hands) at the Teatro Ponchielli in Cremona, at the Teatro Lirico in Cagliari, at the Politeama Theatre in Catanzaro, at the Teatro Nuovo Giovanni di Udine, at the Piano Festival of Pietrasanta and Ascoli Piceno, up the legendary concerts on 19th and 20th October 2012, at the Teatro El Circulo of Rosario (Argentina) – four CDs have been released in June 2014, edited and distributed by IRCO in Buenos Aires – and for the inauguration of the Petrarca Theatre in Arezzo on December 2015, and the prestigious “Greek Theater” of Taormina (Sicily) in August 2019 and Politeama Theater of Palermo (2021).

Jury member within relevant international piano competitions, Daniel Rivera is extremely keen of teaching: besides his faculty chair at the “Istituto di Alta Cultura Musicale Pietro Mascagni” in Livorno (finish in 2018), at “Accademia Strata” in Pisa, at the “Academy of the Arts” in Sarzana, he is frequently invited to hold several high piano courses and master classes in Italy and abroad.