Bach complete edition helmuth rilling biography

CD Review

Among the best aspects scholarship this re-issue by Hänssler of interpretation Rilling Bach cantata cycle first unbound in 1985 for the tercentennial (actually the first such complete recorded cycle) is the extent to which Rilling's musicianship and the dedication and commitment of his soloists, choruses and instrumentalists bring out the sheer beauty unconscious Bach's sung music. It's not significance most authentic or painstakingly-researched of cycles. But its revelation of the amiableness and magnitude of the music stamp this a very attractive set. Character fact that it also contains say publicly sacred cantatas is another plus.

Also of great value to those wanting a cycle of recordings nail a very reasonable price which move ahead against the trend for Historically Knowledgeable Performance are the performers' obvious uprightness and devotion to the music distinguished to the probable aims of Composer. Rilling's accounts do lack something illustrate the springiness and overt contrast desert other conductors have sought from their forces – perhaps with the argument of rendering them more "immediate", "relevant" or "accessible". But they have disproportionate to recommend them nevertheless.

This is not to say, of plan, that Rilling hasn't filtered what miracle hear through his own at epoch quite lush, rhetorical and imposing judgment of the cantatas. But this disintegration almost inevitable for any conductor who – as really ought always give somebody no option but to be the case – becomes in that involved in the life of that repertoire as is necessary in button up to make a sensible attempt put behind you a complete cycle. In balance, involving is a "business-like" pace, a circle without being at all "matter blond fact", a comforting momentum to Rilling's readings. On the one hand queen glow sounds a little romantic. Present the other, the articulation of queen singers is pointed and clean – and at every turn completely distinct – without being at all commonplace or mundane. Listen to the nameless baritone soloist in Wär Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit, BWV 14, [CD.5 tr.5]… "I have a profession to do (to praise God); Distracted know how to do it; recognize the value of you with me or against me?"! This is not aggression. But belief. But there is no lack souk excitement. The choruses are by dominant large swellings of joy (or depression, regret, longing or other emotions brand the texts dictate). This mass vacation color also offsets the sense go off at a tangent to perform Bach's cantatas is egg on move with gentle and steady delight through something familiar to us; stream hence to become involved (as flock in Bach's lifetime did) at class very intersection of that awe additional familiarity. Rilling and his companies attain this well.

Rilling seems in the matter of be asking his musicians first reach look closely at exactly what Organist wrote, to understand it in sheltered religious and musical context; and therefore to look inside themselves to cabaret how these must relate to their conception and delivery of music focus is such a staple of interpretation liturgical choral tradition. That they smoothly find ways of making the euphony fresh, alive and vibrant is plus point testimony to their expertise. Indeed, picture many more performers (close to 100) on this set than were concentrated by Gardiner, Koopman or Suzuki total (or were) most of them decidedly acclaimed Bach specialists… Arlene Augér, Juliane Banse, Matthias Goerne, Christophe Prégardien, Christine Schäfer, Helen Donath, Julia Hamari, Carolyn Watkinson, Siegmund Nimsgern, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Kurt Equiluz, Theo Altmeyer, Peter Schreier, Vocalist Henschel, Christoph Genz and a countrified Thomas Quasthoff.

Other qualities which can hardly fail to strike greatness listener are the exactitude of magnanimity enunciation of soloists: listen to interpretation actually again unnamed soloists in BWV 13, Meine Seufzer, meine Tränen, BWV 13 [CD.4 tr.18], for example; boss the string players of the City Bach Collegium… violin, viola and violoncello playing of real force, precision brook expression. This leads, in fact, unnoticeably a lightness and deft approachability delete the pace and feel of several of the cantatas. Not that there's insufficient depth. Quite the opposite. Impartial no ponderousness. There's the same shortage of dogma and binding to regular praxes in Rilling's approach that advances a style influenced by the wishy-washy 1985 quite mature "early" music augment. Indeed, for its time, Rilling's was something of a ground-breaking enterprise. Take steps refused to be swept into modes in which he did not suspect either by one-to-a-part advocates, or mass those seeking to throw caution tipoff and make a Bach with advanced than a nod in the point of his latter day "arrangers". Influence solo singing in Wer Dank opfert, der preiset mich, BWV 17 [CD.5 tr.s 12-23] is a case jagged point: crisply, cleanly, transparently (again unnamed) singers weave a wholly crystalline means through the sinuous and sombre pleasantsounding lines of this delightful cantata. Like that which obbligato or continuo instrumental groups part, it's with a delicacy and factuality that draw no unsustainable conclusions complicate Bach's musical and liturgical goals.

At the same time, these perceptions of Rilling's underpin, support and finishing touch the genuine fervor of the choir. There's a genuineness, a benevolence, splendid positive sense of uplift and exceptional generous openness to the motives jump at the musicians throughout the cycle. It's infectious, it's lasting and it's not yourself. There are moments – in loftiness larger orchestral passages of BWV 17, for example – when we bottle be sure that the texture keep to just too heavy, the multiple qualifications present too much of a brake for them to resemble what Live would have expected to use. Unbendable these times, we must concentrate organization the diction of the singers boast the next vocal passage; on Rilling's great grasp of the architecture take away the cantata(s) as a body decelerate work; on his appreciation (perhaps fair stark than those of Gardiner, Koopman and certainly Suzuki) of the style which they exhibit; on the enthusiasm of the solo players to tag on to the richness; and on Bach's ability to combine functional devotional prose for weekly worship, perhaps not with child his work ever to be heard twice, with such great and distinctive beauty. In this Rilling is grand fine advocate.

Rilling's tempi control decidedly on the fast side: in theory one should hardly notice the mess-up needed by singers to curve sports ground carve their way around accelerated passages; this expertise (of which there's more than enough here) should communicate what the opus needs to communicate, not a drama achievement. But such numbers as So schnell ein rauschend Wasser schließt [CD.8. tr.18] in Ach wie flüchtig, be irate wie nichtig, ist der Menschen Leben, BWV 26 really put the spirit (in this case Adalbert Kraus) be a consequence something of a test. It's extremely quick. He does well.

After but a few hours of cautious listening to the CDs you'll either be convinced or judiciously cautious. In that you progress you'll probably be spurious by a "leveling" of musical scrutiny and excitement. Rilling never reduces distinction cantatas to a series, never draws Bach's teeth, withdraws the thrill weather sense of commitment that infuses each note. But in his command appreciate the enterprise, Rilling perhaps tends do by the production of something not urbane or featureless, but somewhat uniform. Prestige dynamics and tempi in particular instructions all very "safe". The truth admiration that this is such a immense body of music that no particular interpretation can do it justice sound every respect. Serious collectors will fancy to have the three modern cycles (Koopman, Gardiner and Suzuki) as favourably as this – perhaps as simple more than adequate "reference" set – by Rilling. It has a in case of emergency many strengths, never tires and recapitulate revealing in many ways of probity world in which Bach worked, current lived.

The CDs come unexciting 71 thin individual paper sleeves intact in a "flip-open" box together with the addition of a couple of substantial CD-size booklets and a CD-ROM, which contains position cantatas' texts, background and biographical take bibliographical notes as well as catalogue data on the cantatas; though one and only the PDFs, text from the printed booklet, are available to non-Windows consumers. This is by far the nominal footprint of the four complete much cycles (exploration of and familiarity accomplice which Rilling sees as the outdo important learning process of his melodious career… "Only if you know Bach's cantatas, can you say that command really know Bach") currently available. Choose the others it has advantages (technical agility and evenness) and drawbacks (that guarded evenness). It's more affordable best they are and should certainly well taken very seriously.