Johannes Chrysostomos Chor Innsbruck - Geistliche Musik aus Tirol (2014)

"Geistliche Musik aus Tirol" (Sacred Music of Tyrol), performed by the Johannes Chrysostom Choir of Innsbruck (Johannes Chrysostomos Chor Innsbruck), was released on CD in 2004. This disc (the third in the ensemble's discography) is a recording of the choir's live performances, combining the works of two prominent Tyrolean composers. The choir was founded in 1981 and specializes in Orthodox hymns, but this album includes works from the Western European tradition written by Tyrolean composers in the mid-20th century.
1. Fritz Bleyer — "Weihnachtsoratorium" (Christmas Oratorio): 15 movements, including the prologue, the "Rorate" prayer, and the "Infant Song." This work takes up the majority of the disc.
2. Anton Erich Kratz — "Missa in Es" (Mass in E-flat major): a recording of a live performance of the mass, which was successfully performed three times by the choir in Innsbruck, Schwaz, and Absam.
Both composers represent the 20th-century Tyrolean school of music. Their works combine classical rigor with the melodic quality characteristic of the Alpine region.
Fritz Bleyer, father of the choir's longtime director, Georg Bleyer, lived a long life spanning much of the 20th century: he died shortly before the release of the album "Geistliche Musik aus Tirol" (2004). Thus, the release of this album serves as a kind of tribute to the composer. Interestingly, almost all of the Bleyer family's musical activities are inextricably linked to Innsbruck: Fritz Bleyer created his spiritual works for local church communities, and his son Georg continues this tradition, directing the choir for over 35 years.