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 Many
choruses around the world are bound to look through their cupboards
in search of Bach works which they may present
to audiences in the year 2000. Yet Bach is not quite the mainstream
fare of most choirs that I know. Despite a tonality deeply rooted
in the 'classical', Bach remains exceedingly difficult to get right
for its many demands made on interpreters. For the solo voice -
inexhaustible breath and advance vocal dexterity; for the chorus,
a willing sense of proportion and place within Bach's complex musical
structure and for the director, a subtle balance of the inspired
versus examined humanity is needed to deliver Bach that is immediately
sensational!
So
too in Bach's B minor Mass - for even in any league, it is a giant
of a musical creation hailed by many to be the most perfect of musical
compositions. Considering its relatively short two hours of running
time, the B minor packs an amazing multitude of everlasting tunes,
awe-inspiring musical super-structures and creativity-dulling fugal
massivas. And to top it all, Bach achieves this with so little,
such economy of notes and orchestration. It is for me the be-all
and end-all of Masses and Fugues; for after the B minor, no one
really needs to write another.
I
am surprised by Helmuth Rilling's interesting use of the staccato
in his interpretation. He makes entire sections outstanding by using
the staccato even where Herreweghe (for Harmonia Mundi - reviewed
here) and Gardiner (Archiv Produktion 415 514-2) employed broad
flowing legato lines. Such an interesting experimentation can be
sampled in the duet Domine Deus clearly. One can also hear
this 'choppiness' put to stunning effect in one of my favourite
choruses, the Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Undoubtedly,
this 'agitation' in the music when coupled with Rilling's fast tempos
makes for a very engaging and exciting experience! Nonetheless,
I find it is used too often. Sometimes, such as in the following
Et in terra pax, its half-hearted use disturbed the legato
lines without making any alternative impact.
Given
that Bach's original markings are not too clear on how to articulate
the notes, this jazzy skipping may or may not be to your taste but
I thought that it worked more often than not - breathing a really
fresh perspective into many arias and choruses. If nothing else,
such an emphasis translates into cleaner and neater choral ensemble
work for Bach's difficult fugal structures such as the Cum Sancto
Spiritu . Clearly a definite spark of ingeniuity due in no small
part to Rilling's strong choral background.
Speaking
of which, the Gächinger Kantorei, a ensemble founded by Rilling
in 1953, makes an excellent chorus of sound. Sample their wonders
at Et resurrexit . They are generally very fine throughout
but there is a hint that they have not been captured in every splendour
possible despite the digital sound. There is a slight tightness
in the middle choral range, which limits the illusory space much
needed by any large choral work. The same also applies for the Bach-Collegium
Stuttgart which delivers consistent quality but whose trumpets seemed
too wayward in a track or two. Hear the flute soloist in Benedictus
, which sat me up in my chair to hear his impeccable soli
rendition.
In the soprano duet Christe eleison, Rilling (right) achieves
a beautiful electricity running through the legato cello lines,
not quite the same but very reminescent of the late Karajan's June
1950, Vienna concert recording (to be reissued by EMI Classics in
Jan 2000) of the same duet with Elizabeth Schwarzkopf and Kathleen
Ferrier on the solo lines. Altogether many moments of sustained
greatness in Rilling's interpretation here.
Thomas
Quasthoff has a bright ring to his bass voice, which is a beautiful
rarity. It makes the Quoniam tu solus Sanctus very refreshing
if not for the little lack in interpretative imagination - which
fellow bass Andreas Schmidt is able to fully command in his honeyed
bass-baritone rendition of Et in Spiritum Sanctum, complete
with subtle nuances that clearly indicated a voice capable of becoming
legendary. Schmidt has one of the most beautiful bass voices I have
ever heard.
James
Taylor, Sibylla Rubens, Juliane Banse and Ingeborg Danz are all
singers with beautiful voices chosen for the strong Bachian spirit
in their voices. In particular, sample Ingeborg Danz in her heart-wrenching
rendition of the Agnus Dei, hers is a most fascinating alto
that does not become gruffy when deep in the lower range and which
rises to a stunning golden richness - almost becoming inapproporate
for the seriousness here.
Helmuth
Rilling's accomplishment in Hänssler's version of the B minor Mass
is not one to leave me entirely breathless or singing praises unending,
but he cuts insightful new ground where giants such as EMI and Decca
have failed and makes a worthy companion side by side Bach specialists
like Herreweghe, Koopman and Gardiner.
NG
YEUK FAN will not be popping champagne come the Millenium...
an equal measure of sweetness in the sea air of Pasir Ris accompanied
by blaring horns and flares of parked ships would be a really wonderful
experience....
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24.12.1999 © NG Yeuk Fan
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