Music Reviews : Rilling Leads Master Chorale in Bach Mass

Originally, Helmut Rilling was scheduled to conduct the Los Angeles Master Chorale here in the “Messa per Rossini” he has been championing of late. The much-bruited Music Center budgetary constraints, however, stimulated a late change to the more economical Mass in B minor by Bach.

That’s a switch from historical curio to exalted masterpiece, a move that probably dismayed few among the large crowd Saturday at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

Rilling stands squarely in the neo-Baroque mainstream, a stylish and sympathetic modern-instrument exponent who concentrates on clarity of thought and expression. He has already recorded the B-minor Mass twice, and his probing account Saturday proved taut and joyous.

For less accomplished conductors and choruses, the complexity of the work diffuses its expressive power. The fully articulate and carefully paced lines Rilling elicited from the Master Chorale, however, allowed the counterpoint to build cumulative intensity.

The chorus, 44 balanced voices on this occasion, gave its visiting master pointed singing of great verve and rich sonority. Whether in the rigors of the Kyrie, the a capella chromaticism at the end of the Credo or the expansive jubilation of the Sanctus, the Master Chorale provided clean textures and pertinent thrust.

The assembled soloists proved equally communicative, and considerably more secure than Rilling seemed inclined to believe. Working from memory, he prowled the podium and guided his soloists with literally in-your-face authority.

A veteran of Stuttgart Bach campaigns with Rilling, mezzo Ingeborg Danz sang her wide-ranging duties--including here the “Laudamus te”--with big, smooth and break-free sound. Soprano Henriette Schellenberg supplied agile, gleaming singing in three duets.

Tenor Michael Schade delivered clarion sound, though the lower extensions of the “Benedictus” found him struggling. Baritone Jacob Will also proved more comfortable in “Et in Spiritum sanctum” than the lower “Quoniam tu solus sanctus.”

Concertmaster Ralph Morrison headed the roster of fluent obbligato instrumentalists who partnered the vocal soloists with graceful flair. The full Sinfonia Orchestra offered lithe and supportive playing.