The image will be burned in my mind for some time: A tenor singing an aria from Handel's "Messiah" ... perched on a military cargo truck. The arresting contrast epitomized the creativity of the Bach Choir's "Messiah in Space." This brilliant brainchild of artistic director Thomas Douglas took the complete oratorio to the most unlikely of places Saturday evening, the Hunt Armory in Shadyside.

Inside the mammoth hanger-like structure, Douglas presented the classic in a manner far removed from the comfort of the concert hall or church. He placed the orchestra in the center, with the audience around it and the choir surrounding all and occasionally moving within it. Soloists also moved throughout the configuration -- you never knew where the next appearance would be. Not when the first solo found tenor Albert Rudolph Lee singing "Comfort Ye My People" atop that military cargo truck. Douglas' point may be obvious, contrasting the spiritual message of the libretto and music with the earthly instruments of war, but its effect was profound.

Opposite to what you might assume in the cavernous setting, "Messiah" emerged with a striking immediacy. The oratorio has become a holiday cliche, and sometimes it takes placing a familiar work in a strange setting to hear it anew.

Credit also goes to Thomas' patient tempos and organic phrasing. The armory's acoustics were odd, hindering the low range of contralto Myrna Paris while muddling the famous runs in the soloists' parts. But details simply didn't matter in this special concert -- this was interpretation on a meta level, capturing the essence of the work. Bass Milutin Lazich and soprano Andrea Jones-Sojola rounded out the quartet of peripatetic soloists who acted as much like hosts in a religious rally as singers.

The Bach Choir, a volunteer chorus with a professional core, sounded sumptuous for much of the evening. The extreme conditions did expose its timbre and pitch at times, but the chorus' ensemble was tight considering Douglas often split it into two groups half a football field from each other. While the silvery tone of the Academy Chamber Orchestra impressed, its steadiness was crucial to the success of the concert. Here's hoping the Bach Choir offers this stunning production again next year.