Helmuth Rilling (born 29 May 1933) is a German choral conductor and an academic teacher. He is the founder of the
Gächinger Kantorei
Gächinger Kantorei (Gächingen Chorale) is an internationally known German mixed choir, founded by Helmuth Rilling in 1954 in Gächingen (part of St. Johann close to Reutlingen) and conducted by him until 2013, succeeded by Hans-Christoph Radema ...
(1954), the
Bach-Collegium Stuttgart
Bach-Collegium Stuttgart is an internationally known German instrumental ensemble, founded by Helmuth Rilling in 1965 to accompany the Gächinger Kantorei in choral music with orchestra. Its members are mostly orchestra musicians from Germany and ...
(1965), the
Oregon Bach Festival
Oregon Bach Festival (OBF) is an annual celebration of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach and his musical legacy, held in Eugene, Oregon, United States, in late June and early July.
About the festival
The festival's programming is three-fold. It ...
(1970),
[
] the
Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart
Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart is a foundation in Stuttgart, founded by Helmuth Rilling in 1981 to foster international concerts and workshops, namely Musikfest Stuttgart, dedicated especially to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach in relati ...
(1981) and other Bach Academies worldwide, as well as the "Festival Ensemble Stuttgart" (2001) and the "Junges Stuttgarter Bach Ensemble" (2011). He taught choral conducting at the
Frankfurt Musikhochschule from 1965 to 1989 and led the
Frankfurter Kantorei from 1969 to 1982.
Education
Rilling was born into a musical family. He received his early training at the Protestant Seminaries in Württemberg. From 1952 to 1955 he studied organ, composition, and choral conducting at the Stuttgart College of Music. He completed his studies with Fernando Germani in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
and at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena.
While still a student in 1954, he founded his first choir, the
Gächinger Kantorei
Gächinger Kantorei (Gächingen Chorale) is an internationally known German mixed choir, founded by Helmuth Rilling in 1954 in Gächingen (part of St. Johann close to Reutlingen) and conducted by him until 2013, succeeded by Hans-Christoph Radema ...
. Starting in 1957, he was organist and choirmaster at the Stuttgart Gedächtniskirche, conducting the choir
Figuralchor der Gedächtniskirche Stuttgart. From 1963 to 1966, and taught organ and choral at the
Spandauer Kirchenmusikschule
The (Spandau school of church music) was a music academy in Spandau, Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1929, it was housed in the in Spandau and was closed in 1998. The schools choir appeared and recorded as the Spandauer Kantorei. It was located in t ...
, conducting the ''Spandauer Kantorei'' (Spandau chorale).
Career
In 1967 he studied with
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...
in New York and in the same year was appointed professor of choral conducting at the
Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts
The Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts (german: Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main, italic=no, link=no, HfMDK) is a state Hochschule for music, theatre and dance in Frankfurt and is the only one of its k ...
, a post which he held until 1985. In 1969, he took over as conductor of the
Frankfurter Kantorei (Frankfurt Choir). Since 1965 he has conducted the
Bach-Collegium Stuttgart
Bach-Collegium Stuttgart is an internationally known German instrumental ensemble, founded by Helmuth Rilling in 1965 to accompany the Gächinger Kantorei in choral music with orchestra. Its members are mostly orchestra musicians from Germany and ...
, which often performs with the
Gächinger Kantorei
Gächinger Kantorei (Gächingen Chorale) is an internationally known German mixed choir, founded by Helmuth Rilling in 1954 in Gächingen (part of St. Johann close to Reutlingen) and conducted by him until 2013, succeeded by Hans-Christoph Radema ...
. He has toured widely with both ensembles.
He is well known for his performances of the music of
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...
and his contemporaries. He is the first person to have twice prepared and recorded (on modern instruments) the complete choral works of J. S. Bach, a monumental task involving well over 1,000 pieces of music - spanning 170 compact discs. He has also recorded many romantic and classical choral and orchestral works, including the works of
Johannes Brahms. In 1988 he conducted the world premiere of the ''
Messa per Rossini'' that he also conducted at the
Rheingau Musik Festival
The (RMF) is an international summer music festival in Germany, founded in 1987. It is mostly for classical music, but includes other genres. Concerts take place at culturally important locations, such as Eberbach Abbey and Schloss Johannisberg, ...
in 2001, where he has traditionally conducted the final concert.
[Festival Ensemble Stuttgart](_blank)
, 2006 (in German)
Rilling co-founded the
Oregon Bach Festival
Oregon Bach Festival (OBF) is an annual celebration of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach and his musical legacy, held in Eugene, Oregon, United States, in late June and early July.
About the festival
The festival's programming is three-fold. It ...
in 1970, and served as its artistic director until 2013. He also co-founded and led the
Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart
Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart is a foundation in Stuttgart, founded by Helmuth Rilling in 1981 to foster international concerts and workshops, namely Musikfest Stuttgart, dedicated especially to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach in relati ...
since 1981. In 2001 Rilling created the Festival Ensemble to be part of the European Music Festival Stuttgart ("Musikfest Stuttgart").
Rilling became the Festival Conductor and lecturer at the Toronto Bach Festival in 2004.
Rilling was a teacher of chorale conducting at the
Frankfurt Musikhochschule from 1965 to 1989.
Recordings and awards
Rilling's recording of Krzysztof Penderecki's
Credo
In Christian liturgy, the credo (; Latin for "I believe") is the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed – or its shorter version, the Apostles' Creed – in the Mass, either as a prayer, a spoken text, or sung as Gregorian chant or other musical sett ...
, commissioned and performed by the
Oregon Bach Festival
Oregon Bach Festival (OBF) is an annual celebration of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach and his musical legacy, held in Eugene, Oregon, United States, in late June and early July.
About the festival
The festival's programming is three-fold. It ...
, won the 2001
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
for best choral performance. He received the
Bach Medal in 2004.
In 2008, Rilling was awarded the Sanford Award by the
Yale School of Music
The Yale School of Music (often abbreviated to YSM) is one of the 12 professional schools at Yale University. It offers three graduate degrees: Master of Music (MM), Master of Musical Arts (MMA), and Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA), as well as a join ...
at
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
. He was the 2011 recipient of the
Herbert von Karajan Music Prize
For Rilling's 75th birthday, his record label
Hänssler Classic
Hänssler-Verlag is a German music publishing house founded in 1919 as Musikverlag Hänssler by Friedrich Hänssler Senior (died 1972) to publish church music. The company is now based in Holzgerlingen. Since 1972 Hänssler Verlag has also publis ...
released his entire Bach edition on iPod.
References
External links
Helmuth Rilling / Gründer der Internationalen Bachakademieon the website of the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart
on bach-cantatas.com
of Helmuth Rilling
by Bruce Duffie, 2 March 2000
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rilling, Helmuth
1933 births
Living people
German choral conductors
German male conductors (music)
Grammy Award winners
Musicians from Oregon
Musicians from Stuttgart
Bach conductors
Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Recipients of the Order of Merit of Baden-Württemberg
Herbert von Karajan Music Prize winners
21st-century German conductors (music)
21st-century German male musicians
Kirchenmusikdirektor