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After he had completed work on his "Ein Deutsches Requiem," Johannes Brahms' mother died.

"He missed her terribly," said Maestro Paul Stanbery, conductor of the Hamilton Fairfield Symphony Orchestra. "So he went back and inserted another movement right into the middle, a soprano solo, which to our ears must represent his mother."

The lyrics to that movement are, roughly, "You now are sorrowful but in time you will hold me again."

On Sunday, Bess-Arlene Camacho will perform that solo as the HFSO presents Brahms' magnum opus for the annual Tillmann Concert, sponsored by the Hamilton Community Foundation.

"We performed this two years ago in Carnegie Hall," Stanbery said. "This time, we'll be doing it in English translation to make it a little easier for the audience, plus the lyrics will be printed in the program."

The piece is known as "The German Requiem" not because it's sung in German, but because it refers to the Lutheran or Protestant response to death.

"By its nature, a requiem is a Latin Mass for the Dead with themes of redemption, judgment and guilt," Stanbery said. "But rather than the Catholic themes, this is a piece that is meant for consolation for those left behind."

The HFSO Chorale will be joined by the Mason High School Concert Choir for the performance, putting a total of 140 voices on the stage, Stanbery said

In addition to the Brahms performance, the symphony will also honor the winner of the Second Annual David L. Belew Young Artist Competition, Tom Turner, bassoonist, a senior at Lakota West High School.

"The bassoon is one of the unsung heroes of the orchestra," said Stanbery, who is also a bassoon player. "It's sometimes called 'a burping bedpost,' but we prefer to refer to it as the 'king of instruments.'

"Last year's winner, Whitney MacDonald, is now in her first year of studies at Julliard and is doing very well," Stanbery said.

how to go

THE NAME: The Hamilton Fairfield Symphony Orchestra.

THE LOCATION: St. Julie Billiart Church, 224 Dayton St., Hamilton.

THE HOURS: 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 19.

THE TAB: Free.

THE PHONE: (513) 895-5151; www.hfso.org.