Helmuth Rilling

Helmuth Rilling is a German conductor and choral music legend celebrated for bringing centuries-old sacred works to vivid life. Born in 1933, he’s best known as a Bach whisperer—founding the Gächinger Kantorei choir and Bach-Collegium Stuttgart in the 1950s-60s to champion the composer’s monumental choral pieces. His crisp, historically informed performances of passions, cantatas, and masses (like those in your list!) became gold standards, though he’s equally at home with Haydn’s symphonies or Dvořák’s soul-stirring *Stabat Mater*.

Beyond the podium, Rilling shaped generations through teaching and initiatives like Oregon Bach Festival, blending scholarly rigor with infectious enthusiasm. Honors piled up over his 70-year career—Grammys, Germany’s Grand Cross of Merit—but his real legacy lives in recordings where choirs glow and baroque textures sparkle. Even in “retirement,” his baton keeps pointing listeners toward choral music’s timeless power.

Genres

Choral

Requiem

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Jordi Savall

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Latest Release

St Matthew Passion 1781 & Magnificat WQ 215

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach•

Helmuth Rilling•

Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart

Album - 38 Tracks - Released December 20, 2024