W. Friedrich

Born in Berlin on February 24, 1807, Friedrich Wilhelm Riese became a writer, stage author, and important librettist of the 19th century. He sometimes published under the pseudonym Wilhelm Friedrich, which likely explains references to him as “W. Friedrich.”

His life moved through several careers and countries. He performed as a tenor in the Russian Empire, studied medicine in Berlin and Halle, and later left Germany during political troubles. In Hamburg he adapted more than 100 French, English, and Italian plays for the Thalia Theater, building a strong reputation as a practical man of the stage.

Riese is especially remembered for his collaboration with composer Friedrich von Flotow. He wrote the libretti for Alessandro Stradella and Martha, oder Der Markt zu Richmond, an opera that remained popular well beyond its time. He spent his later years in Naples, where he died on November 15, 1879.