classical spectacular review

By Catherine Jones on Mar 9, 09 11:16 AM

THE Royal Liverpool Philharmonic looks comfortably at home in the Echo Arena.
They were the heroes of its Capital of Culture opening ceremony, perched seven storeys high on stage in Jailhouse Rock fashion.
Months later they appeared again, this time in an sold out, explosive arena extravaganza.
And on Saturday the Phil proved yet again they were the equal of the lights, lasers and explosive razzmatazz as they reprised the dramatic classical waterfront show.

Some purists may be sniffy about the greatest hits tone of the programme, and it's also true Classical Spectacular is never going to win any awards for subtlety.
But conductor and 'local boy' (he was born in St Helens) John Rigby understood the nature of the beast when he told the expectant, Union Jack-carrying crowd the Phil was going to deliver popular classical music "to sing and dance to".
The classical favourites included Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries, a lively Pomp and Circumstance, amusingly rip-roaring Hornpipe and Gounod's Soldiers Chorus - one of a number of choral pieces showcasing the impressive vocal richness of the massed Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir and Liverpool Welsh Choral Union.
Tenor Adrian Dwyer deserved the rousing cheer for his Nessun Dorma, while baritone Richard Morrison impressed in both Rule Britannia and the Barber of Seville
The sound quality was for the most part good, although there were moments - notably in the Sorcerer's Apprentice and Verdi's Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves, where things turned fuzzy and in general throughout the evening it was difficult to decipher what exactly the chorus was singing.
Of course the music, which also included six bearskin hat-clad trumpeters from the Welsh Guards, was only one part of the equation.
It was down to the colourfully- named lighting designer Durham Marenghi to bring it together with suffused lighting of reds, yellows, blues and pinks - Elgar's stately Nimrod for example was accompanied by a sunrise of pale blue to gold and deep orange, while green laser beams twisted, turned and danced across the arena's cavernous interior in expert timing to the music.
The evening concluded in suitably spectacular fashion with all guns blazing as the Moscow Militia fought out the 1812 Overture from opposing sides of the arena.
8/10: classical gas