Christmas Glory from Westminster

Boasting special guests as wide-ranging as Betty Boothroyd (Speaker of the House of Commons), actress Dame Joan Plowright, and teen singing sensation Charlotte Church, Christmas Glory from Westminster serves up an angelic evening of song, poetry, and biblical readings from London's Westminster Abbey. From the wonderful choir renditions of "For Unto Us a Child Is Born" (from Handel's Messiah), "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear," and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," to enchanting solo efforts from Church ("Silent Night"), Andrea Bocelli ("Ave Maria"), and Byrn Terfel (the Welsh carol "Tua Bethlehem Dref"), the musical part of the evening soars. Interspersed between songs, readings from Boothroyd, Plowright, Richard Griffiths (who does a very nice excerpt from "A Christmas Carol") and Greta Scacchi nicely round out this joyous presentation introduced by HRH the Duke of Edinburgh. Recommended. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)