WHAT would Tchaikovsky make of the special effects bonanza that is the biggest classical music show to take place in Liverpool?

Will he be spinning in his grave as the first notes of his 1812 Overture strike up or will he find himself unable to resist tapping his feet?

For conductor John Rigby the answer is simple – he would have loved it.

"I think Tchaikovsky was an absolute man of the theatre and he would adore it," he enthuses.

"He spent so much of his life writing ballet music and for the theatre so to see his music brought to life in such a spectacular way and with a visual dimension as well would be magnificent."

The Russian composer’s own flair for the dramatic is the starting point for a show that involves lighting displays, fireworks and a stage filled with more than 200 musicians at the Echo Arena.

"I suppose all of this started with Tchaikovsky and the 1812 Overture, which we perform, and he wrote it for cannons to depict a battle," explains Rigby, who grew up in St Helens where his family, who are coming to the show, still live.

"It’s gone on from there into the 21st century and we try and take those ideas forward into a new generation."

Classical Spectacular first visited Liverpool last year, not long after the Arena’s official opening, and was a sell-out.

The show has been seen by more than 2m people around the world.

The programme for 2009, which will eventually end up at the Royal Albert Hall in London, features some of the genre’s best known works.

They include Verdi’s Grand March from Aida and Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves, Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries, Handel’s Zadok the Priest, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Dukas, Elgar’s Nimrod, Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake Finale, Finlandia by Sibelius, Gounod’s Soldier’s Chorus and Bizet’s Pearl Fishers’ Duet.