Austrian musicologist, singer (tenor), conductor, and composer.

Career Summary

Riedinger studied musicology at the University of Vienna with Guido Adler. He completed his doctorate in 1913 with a dissertation "Carl von Dittersdorf als Opernkomponist." Although self-taught as a composer, Riedinger must have received training as a singer because he made numerous appearances as a concert soloist in the Vienna Konzerthaus between 1914 and 1930. He was engaged at the Brno Opera as a lyric tenor 1918–20 and subsequently in Cologne, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Hannover as well as at the Theater an der Wien and the Vienna Volksoper. From about 1928 on, he worked for the Austrian Radio, was instrumental in studio performances of rarely performed operas and operettas, and also occasionally at the popular music department at the Austrian Radio.

Riedinger composed, among other things, incidental music for radio productions of theatrical works, and his broadcast series of radio potpourris was a success. His Symphony in E-flat major, composed 1914 (rev. 1927) had its first performance in Vienna in the Großer Musikvereinsaal.

Riedinger was a friend of Eduard Gärtner, at whose death he wrote the obituary "Aus Eduard Gärtners Leben" for the Neues Wiener Tagblatt (No. 200 July 26, 1918).

Riedinger and Schenker

Riedinger is referred to in Schenker's diary (where his name is incorrectly spelled "Rüdinger"), but always in connection with either Eduard Gärtner or Hans Gärtner. Hans Gärtner approached Schenker to procure for Riedinger a spoken or written recommendation to Paul Breisach, who was, in his turn, to act as an intermediary to Richard Strauss.There seems to have been no direct contact between Riedinger and Schenker, nor is any correspondence known to have existed.

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