LONDON, Ont. -- Anne Murray doesn’t have to worry — she’s still the Canadian queen of pop.

Just a few weeks after murmuring she might be getting taken for granted at home, Murray was in relaxed, majestic form before a crowd of 4,000 fans at the RBC Theatre at the John Labatt Centre last night.

She showed off her Canadian songbook smarts, coming back for a lovely version of singer-songwriter Jesse Winchester’s Wintery Feeling after finishing with stirring songs of the season.

Murray was also in top form, turning a 40-something good-natured heckler into a quick jest about her age and the age of her audience.

“We love smart-asses . . . it takes one to know one to know one,” she smiled, just another twist of the nice by a singer with loads of confidence and class — and bite to her wit.

The Christmas songs and spirituals were in the second half, which was pleasantly impossible to review other than to say it was charming.

The first half had the Anne Murray songbook, including Snowbird, a Top 3 hit for Murray 35 years ago this week in London. The song still sounds like such an inevitable hit that it’s hard to believe it was actually the third single off Murray’s breakthrough album This Way is My Way.

At last night’s concert, Murray used Snowbird to lead into a run of her hits in the first half. Danny’s Song and You Needed Me followed and the set ended with a sublime Could I Have This Dance, her 1980 Grammy winner. Urged on by the star, the crowd carried the song by itself for a minute or two. They also responded to Murray’s coaxing into carolling in the second half.

But only Murray, the best singer in the house, would have put that signature something extra into You Needed Me’s lyric about “dignity” in her treatment.

For all her kidding, dignity is part of the Murray regal bearing. Her new album, I’ll Be Seeing You, is drawn from songs before she was born (1945), or “way back,” as Murray said.

Her appearance last night was historic, too. The 20-piece orchestra backing Murray and her fine touring band was comprised of Orchestra London members. It’s the first time the London players have been hired in such a role at the downtown London arena.

“It’s kind of refreshing,” said orchestra violinist Sigmar (Sig) Martin, contractor for the professional classical musicians on the Murray date. “Actually, (orchestra executive director) Rob Gloor put it together for us,” Martin said.

Freelance work for London classical musicians isn’t as plentiful in their home market as it is for their counterparts in other centres. The Murray date may lead to others here.

The singer praised “the Orchestra London” toward the end of the show. “They’re going to make us really sound good,” she had said earlier.

You got that right, Anne.

You made everyone — orchestra, fans and band — sound good all by yourself.