The Seasons of Life
Designed by Michael Lutz – FireOne firing with 186 32-cue modules. Finale visualization.
A capacity audience anxiously watched the flag on a vertical drop ride adjacent to the display area, hoping that there would be sufficient wind to move the smoke away from the audience. The rain showers that had been predicted to arrive around 8:30 were short lived and the next set were predicted to arrive around 10:30. They did briefly make an appearance, appropriately in the Autumn segment of the display.
This was a very good display be Rozzi, their 6th in Montreal and the best that I’ve seen (I did not see their 1992 display). A very interesting mix of classical and modern music that really fitted the theme well. I particularly enjoyed the design of the classical segments and found the fireworks complimented the music perfectly. We had seen pyrotechnicians attending to ramp 5 just before the display and, during the opening sequences, vertical firing groups of gerbs opened up into fans, though one was initially reluctant to do so and brought cheers from the audience when it did.
There were some interesting firing patterns used, particularly at low level on ramps 3 and 5 with modular cakes being used very creatively with the music. The sequences of one shots with interplay between the left and right sides of the display were also well done. The quality of the one-shots was very good, as expected as they were all from Panzera. There were some astoundingly bright white comets and stars used – I was told afterwards that these were very close to the famous Rozzi products of years gone by. Rozzi also used some of their farfalles in the display and these were some of the best I’ve seen! Nautical products were used effectively, with flares, mines of comets and water ballet fountains, though no shells were used, even in the finale.
The sound track was well constructed with each classical section being supported by two contemporary pieces. The editing was good in general, though I found a couple of the transitions were a tad short, as the effects from the previous classical piece were still visible as the subsequent contemporary piece began. In general, the quality of the shells was very good, though there was some repetition of effects such as falling leaves, go-getters and some horsetail effects (though, to be fair, there were several different types of these, from brilliant strobes through to brocade).
The 500′ long Niagara Falls turned out to be a bit disappointing as it didn’t all light at once and burned out quite quickly. I also noticed that some of the angles of some of the one-shots were not quite right from time to time, but remembered being told during the interview that the team had an awful lot of racks to prepare, giving perhaps the impression that the number used was a bit unusual.
The finale brought us back to the 1990s when Panzera would deliver a fierce closing with their renowned silver rain shells and thunderous volleys of salutes. Rozzi took this further, essentially beginning with a massive barrage of red shells, moving into sky-filling gold brocades and then into the silver rain, together with over 1000 salutes. It was breathtaking and deafening, leading the audience to leap to their feat with a rousing standing ovation.
The display overall was very enjoyable with an excellent soundtrack and a well developed theme. I found some of the firing patterns a little bit on the conservative side and maybe repeated a bit, as was the case with some of the shells, but the range of effects used was excellent and the use of colour during the display was also well done. Synchronization was particularly good in the shells, especially in the use of the space from left to right. The one-shots I found, though, were not quite as tight as we’d seen from Vulcan. Of course, there are choices to be made as to when the synchronization point is. The audience definitely reacted very positively and gave the team a terrific response after their ears had recovered from the deafening finale! I would say Rozzi is certainly a contender for a place on the podium, with just one entrant remaining. This has turned out to be a very closely fought competition!