Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

2007 marked a double anniversary for the Prom Praise team, being 30 years since they started off at All Souls, Langham Place and 20 years since they began holding the hugely popular event at the Royal Albert Hall. There are several Easter hymns here, including Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus", "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" and the Easter Hymn from 'Cavalleria Rusticana' featuring the soprano Heidi Pegler. Other guests include Stuart Townend and Chris Eaton but the strength of the recording is the way the producer has caught the joyful atmosphere with an orchestra of over 100, a choir of almost 500 and a capacity audience in one of the most famous venues in the world. The camera work is technically excellent but also unobtrusive: there are lots of different angles and yet one barely catches a glimpse of any other cameras. I have two negative observations, both inevitable in a live recording of this nature. Some of the congregational singing suffers from time lag: those at the back are not keeping up - but considering the size of the venue they really are a long way back. And there is a lot of talking from the rostrum. Yes, this is all part of the Proms tradition and Rico Tice's "Pause For Thought" is a superb example of gospel preaching but I am not sure if it will bear much repetition. But let's not worry - the music is full of joy that matches the reason for the celebration! Christ is risen indeed!

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.