Performance in Theory and in Practice: Helmuth Rilling’s Interpretations of Bach’s B minor Mass

The conductor Helmuth Rilling documented his views on Bach’s B minor Mass in two different media: in addition to his three recordings, he wrote a monograph on this work, containing detailed analyses and performance instructions for each movement. Surprisingly, the recording that seems most consistent with the conductor’s verbally-stated views is his 1999 version – the one most chronologically distant from the book. In the book, Rilling repeatedly exhorts performers to trace the ebb-and-flow of tension within the music. His earlier performances, however, often display an internal rigidity which belies this ideal. This disparity might represent a tension between Rilling’s aesthetics and his adoption, in the 1960s and 1970s, of a performance style better-suited for the projection of strict Unity of Affect, reflecting the influence of several of Rilling’s mentors and erstwhile colleagues. In subsequent years, Rilling and his ensembles have gradually adopted a more locally flexible performance style, reflecting, in part, the influence of period-instrument performances. The comparison between the book and the recordings provides a fascinating case study on the relationship between a performer’s statements and practices; it also provides insights into how the ostensibly anti-Romantic influence of historical performance has increased the expressive options for Bach performance.