Biography

PIANO DUO BIOGRAPHY

Federica Righini and Riccardo Zadra are pianists, teachers, researchers, and authors, engaged for over thirty-five years in a shared artistic and research path. Their collaboration began at the École Internationale de Piano in Lausanne under the guidance of Fausto Zadra, and has developed alongside their individual solo and chamber careers into an extensive concert activity as a piano duo in Italy and abroad.

Their repertoire ranges from Mozart to the twentieth century and includes the complete works of Maurice Ravel for piano four hands and two pianos. In recent years, their work has focused on nineteenth-century performance practices and the use of historical instruments, with particular attention to Johannes Brahms and Robert Schumann. Within this framework, they are devoted to the study and performance of original four-hand piano transcriptions, highlighting their specifically pianistic qualities, tonal richness, and the complexity of their writing.

In May 2026, Da Vinci Classics released their recording of Brahms’s String Quintets Op. 88 and Op. 111 in the composer’s own four-hand piano versions, performed on a historical Streicher piano. The recording has received highly favourable reviews in Fanfare, MusicVoice and OperaTeatro. A second CD is also in preparation, featuring Schumann’s Quintet op. 44 and Quartet op. 47 in the four-hand transcriptions by Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms, respectively.

Alongside their concert activity, they have long been engaged in research and teaching on the psychophysiological aspects of musical performance and the development of artistic potential. From 1998 to 2013, they founded and directed the Accademia Pianistica Internazionale di Padova, with Aldo Ciccolini as honorary president. They both teach piano at the Conservatory of Vicenza.

In 2010, they published Master Yourself. A Practical Guide to Artistic and Personal Development for Musicians (Edizioni Curci), a book addressing performance, emotional management, and the integration of body, mind, and artistic identity. Through masterclasses, seminars, and individual and group programs, they have worked with hundreds of musicians on issues such as technical and postural tension, performance anxiety, and quality of attention.