Bach Mass in B minor: Shaw / Rilling / Gardiner

Mark Zimmerman wrote (April 28, 2001):
Ok, first I want to thank everyone for there advice on Bach's Mass in B minor. As I said earlier I already have the Shaw & Gardiner. Now I have the Rilling and for me it goes to the head of the class. But, let me explain: the thing is I'm a fanatic for sound quality and the Gardiner just doesn't have it in this category (although it seems to be a more lively performance, something I really like). I have some expectation that on HIP recordings the sound may be a little drier due to the instruments, however I have several HIP recordings of other works where the sound is great. So for me I have a difficult time following the fugues in the Mass on Gardiner, something I really enjoy. Rilling on the other hand is using mostly modern instruments but scaled down at or near the HIP level. The sound given to him by Hanssler is wonderfully rich and detailed and I can follow everything in the work.

On my second listen-through of the Mass I decided to do the Kyrie on all three sets and start with the Shaw, ending up with the Gardiner just to see if I had judged things right. I had, however, this time I noticed that I was able to follow the Gardiner better (this right after listening to the Rilling). So, I guess it turns out that the Rilling will be my mainstay followed by either the Gardiner or Shaw. But, knowing myself I will probably remain loyal to the Rilling as I enjoyed it the most. Now if only Gardiner would re-record the piece with state-of-the-art sound.

Rilling 1988 B minor Mass

Uri Golomb wrote (July 22, 2003):
Doanyone on these lists know how I might be able to purchase (or at least hear) Rilling's second (1988) recording of the B minor Mass? (That's the recording marked V-4 on: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Performers/Rilling-Rec7.htm; soloists are Soprano - Ulrike Sonntag; Alto - Marjana Lipovsek; Tenor - Howard Crook; Bass - Andreas Schmidt). I am doing a comparison of Rilling's two other recordings (1977 and 1999), which I already have. These are strikingly different, and I would be very interested in examining the 1988 version, which chronologically comes in the middle. As far as I'm aware, however, it is no longer available.

Riccardo Nughes wrote (July 22, 2003):
[To Uri Golomb] There are 2 used copies for sale at amazon.de markeplace: Amazon.de

If the sellers ship abroad you can buy it from them (In the past I bought some items from amazon.de marketplace without any problem).

BWV 232 Rilling Interview

Thomas Braatz wrote (January 8, 2004):
I have just learned that radio station WFMT FM, which should be available on the web, will be broadcasting a very recent interview with Helmuth Rilling who has come to Valparaiso University in Indiana, USA, to present (conduct) a performance of the B minor Mass this Sunday. The interview (possibly some questions will relate to BWV 232) is scheduled for broadcast today (January 8th) at 8:00 pm Central Standard Time. In conjunction with the inauguration of a Bach Institute at this university (the performance of the B minor Mass is a part of this,) Christoph Wolff will be giving a public lecture on Bach. As yet there is no information whether this lecture will be recorded and broadcast at a later time.

Rilling's B minor Mass (1^st recording, 1977)

Neil Halliday wrote (March 19, 2004):
Every now and again, a recording comes along that seems to fit like a glove. This one portrays the clarity and presence of instrumental colour, in conjunction with strong choral and solo vocal singing, that is typical of Rilling's best recordings. (Some of my favourites from the Rilling cantata cycle seem also to have arisen from around the year of this recording).

An example of this is at the very beginning of the work, in the clearly heard descending B minor scale from the 1^st violins immediately before the 1st entry of the fugal subject. In none of my other four versions can I hear this complete scale, above the double forte choir. (However, I have noticed that Hickox's violins are more incisive in the 'Et incarnatus est', and this is probably the one movement where he actually has more impact than Rilling. As well, in some other movements they sound quite similar, notably the 'Gratias agimus').

The power of the 1^st Kyrie builds up relentlessly as it progresses, not because of any particular variation in dynamics from Rilling, but simply because of the ensemble's accurate and audible 'piling up' of all the musical lines that occur in Bach's score; consequently, one is caught up in the irresistable momentum of the music. (The speed is similar to Hengelbrock and Richter).

The entire Gloria is powerful, and a delight, including a very moving 'Qui tollis'.

An interesting feature that occurs in the Domine Deus (duet S,T), which I have only heard in this recording, is the treatment of the flute part; namely, the (slurred) pairs of semiquavers are treated (appogiatura-like) with the first of the notes becoming a demi-semi-quaver, and (consequently) the second note becomes a dotted semi quaver. It's quite charming, and allows the flute part both to stand out from the rest of the ensemble, and to be clearly heard in all its detail.

Likewise, I cannot fault the Credo. This recording is overall the finest recording of the Mass that I have at present. The soloists (Augér, Hamari, Kraus, Nimsgern) are all very appealing in their various arias and duets.

Concert Review: Mass in B Minor - H. Rilling

Douglas Cowling wrote (April 13, 2010):
This week, Helmut Rilling led the Toronto Symphony in a performance of the Mass in B minor which was both exciting and unfashionable. With the growing influence of the OVPP hypothesis, it's rare to find a first rate performance with a large choir (150 voices) and modern symphony orchestra: strings were 8-8-6-4-3 with bassoon a 2 in most of the choruses. That's a larger ensemble than Karl Richter used in the 1960's.

But the impeccable ensemble under Rilling reminded me over and over again of the grand old Archiv recordings. The chorus was all young singers and Rilling moved the large choir through quicksilver tempos that the average symphony chorus would have struggled with. And of course the bass line in the Sanctus was deliciously majestic.

There were times when the large string body threatened to swamp the winds and voice: I'd forgotten that the arias of the Gloria largely have strings playing in their lower register. But in a happy gesture, Rilling had all the instrumental soloists stand -- including the horn in "Quoniam".

The soloists were Emily Hindrichs, soprano; Ingeborg Danz, mezzo-soprano; Lawrence Wiliford, tenor; Andrew Foster-Williams, baritone. All fine singers familiar from period instrument performances. Their well-focussed voices had no trouble rising above the orchestral textures. I wonder how a Fritz Wunderlich and Hertha Töpper would be received these day. There were even some surprising touches: the voices and instruments all adopted Lombard rhythms in "Domine Deus".

And I finally realized the link between the "Sanctus" and i's later addendum, the "Osanna". In the closing bars of the "Sanctus", the choral basses and trumpets thunder out a great D major fanfare which clearly Bach remembered decades later when he chose the unison theme for the opening of the "Osanna" -- the two should be in the same tempo.

Muniini K. Mulera [Toronto, Ontario] wrote (April 13, 2010):
[To Douglas Cowling] Thank you very much for sharing this,Doug. I am kicking myself for missing the performance, purely because I was not aware of it! Indeed I was thinking recently that I should send you a personal e-mail to inquire about Bach choral performances in the GTA. Would like to take some friends to live performances as a means of introducing them to the aural riches that Bach left us.

Thank you again.

Helmuth Rilling: Short Biography | Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart | Frankfurter Kantorei | Figuralchor der Gedächtniskirche Stuttgart | Bach-Collegium Stuttgart | Oregon Bach Festival
Recordings of Vocal Work: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13
General Discussions: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5
Cantatas: Edition Bachakademie - Vols. 1-20 | Edition Bachakademie - Vol. 9 | Edition Bachakademie - Vol. 60 | Arleen Augér sings Bach - conducted by H. Rilling | Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau sings Bach - conducted by H. Rilling
Other Vocal Works: BWV 232 - H. Rilling | BWV 243 - H. Rilling | BWV 244 - H. Rilling | BWV 245 - H. Rilling | BWV 248 - H. Rilling | Chorales - H. Rilling
Cantate Label: Recordings of Vocal Works | General Discussions
Table of recordings by BWV Number