SALT LAKE CHORAL ARTISTS CONCERT CHOIR AND ORCHESTRA, A German Requiem, Libby Gardner Concert Hall, March 29

The transcendent beauty of Johannes Brahms’ A German Requiem was brought to life Saturday in the Salt Lake Choral Artists’ stirring performance in Libby Gardner Concert Hall. Under the baton of Brady Allred, the singers gave a heartfelt and sincere account of Brahms’ most personal work.

A remarkable piece of music intended to comfort the living rather than dwell on death, Brahms’ requiem makes a powerful statement. And when it’s performed by a group of seasoned choristers, as the members of the Salt Lake Choral Artists are, the work takes on new meaning.

Allred elicited nuanced singing from his choir that allowed them to bring out the subtleties of the music. And while the dramatic moments were forceful and at times overwhelming, Allred never lost sight of the underlying lyricism and conveyed that compellingly to his singers.

The two soloists, soprano Carol Ann Allred and baritone Tyler Oliphant, were magnificent with their respective solos. They sang them with feeling and richly crafted expressiveness.

The small orchestra played wonderfully for the most part, although the balance between it and the much larger chorus was a bit out of focus at times.

The version of the requiem that Brady Allred used was Robert Shaw’s English edition that Shaw prepared a number of years before his death in 1999. It captures the depth and scope of the original German well and is a worthy alternative to the original.