Shop

A Merry Little Christmas (2018)
In December 2017, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Orchestra at Temple Square, and Bells on Temple Square joined with Broadway star Sutton Foster and world-renowned English actor Hugh Bonneville to celebrate both the joyful and peaceable moments of Christmas. With singers, instrumentalists, and dancers drawn from the local community, and festive flourishes from the Gabriel Trumpet Ensemble throughout the program, these concerts were a visual and musical spectacle, thrilling the combined capacity audience of over 60,000 in the Conference Center at Temple Square.
- Language English
- Media Types CD, DVD, MP3
"Buy Now" links are provided for your convenience and may take you to a website not maintained by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with its own terms of use, privacy and security. We don't endorse or guarantee the content, products or services offered.
- TracksTrack TitleTrack Time
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Description
In December 2017, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Orchestra at Temple Square, and Bells on Temple Square joined with Broadway star Sutton Foster and world-renowned English actor Hugh Bonneville to celebrate both the joyful and peaceable moments of Christmas. With singers, instrumentalists, and dancers drawn from the local community, and festive flourishes from the Gabriel Trumpet Ensemble throughout the program, these concerts were a visual and musical spectacle, thrilling the combined capacity audience of over 60,000 in the Conference Center at Temple Square.
This live recording from the concert opens at full speed, the Choir, Orchestra, and herald trumpets joining in a spectacular arrangement of “Joy to the World,” followed up with grand-scaled presentations of music by Gounod and Widor that capture the exuberant cheer of Christmas. Richard Elliott’s trademark organ solo, augmented with three percussionists from the Orchestra at Temple Square, brings down the house with a dynamic, dramatic interpretation of “I Saw Three Ships.”
And there are also the moments of serene reflection and heartfelt hope. Sutton Foster’s poignant delivery of “Sunshine on My Shoulders,” dedicated to her late mother, adds a Christmas twist to this popular classic, and the tender nostalgia of her “Christmas Time Is Here” evokes memories of simpler traditions from past years. At the concert’s heart is Hugh Bonneville’s narration of the story of the Spafford family from Chicago, who turned devastating grief at Christmastime into a family tradition of devotion, faith, and quiet service to humanity. Mack Wilberg’s arrangement of “Silent Night”—an especially tranquil and touching interlude of quiet wonder—introduces the traditional biblical account of the Nativity.
With other beloved songs, choruses, and orchestral works, and the Choir’s traditional finale, “Angels from the Realms of Glory,” this inspiring concert reminds us that Christmas is a time to both celebrate and ponder, to rejoice and be still, as we consider the ultimate gift of hope and redemption that the Christmas season represents.