I met with Jorge Márquez, president of Lux Pirotecnia and designer of both the pyrotechnics and the soundtrack. Lux Pirotecnia will be celebrating it’s 31st anniversary on July 14th, which is the night of their second participation in Montreal, the first being in 2007.
Jorge mentioned that even during their 2007 display he knew he wanted to come back to Montreal. They had encountered technical problems close to the start of the show which lead to a five minute pause whilst this was fixed and the display re-started from where it had stopped. Jorge lamented that he hadn’t been able to demonstrate all he wanted then, plus, in 2007, it had not been possible to import and Mexican-made products and had, instead, had shells made by Antonio Caballer in Spain.
For 2024, Jorge was proud to state that fully 100% of the products used in the show, including even the e-matches, are made in Mexico and he listed the following companies as partners in their manufacture (with everything being made to his exact specifications for the display):
- Pirotecnia La Palma
- Pirotecnia Marcos Ramos
- Pirotecnia Rogelio Ramos
- Pyromartin
- Ovni Pirotecnia
- Pirotex
- Empire Fireworks
- Pirocorman
- Pyrosmart
- Pyro4
The display will use all of the ramps, with five positions on ramp 5, some positions on ramp 4, 21 positions on ramp 3 and the usual five positions on ramps 2 and 1. When asked if there would be large calibre shells, Jorge explained that, in Mexico, the maximum permitted is now 200mm after there had been problems with 250mm and 300mm and noted that the pool of skilled artisans to make the largest calibres is now diminishing. All that said, extra mortars had to be procured for ramp 1 to accommodate all of the shells used by the display. Jorge also noted that some of the Mexican companies specialize in Italian-style cylindrical shells, but mainly in the 100mm calibre. Asked whether there will be nautical effects, he concurred but said there would be no nautical shells. Jorge said the display will use 2500 cues – this is rather lower than the competitors so far, but with the replacement of lots of one-shots by slice cakes it will be interesting to see how this works!
Emphasizing Mexican culture and heritage, Jorge said there would be all sorts of ground-effects including wheels, fountains and lance-based pictures, but, unfortunately there will not be the renowned Castillos as these would have been too difficult to assemble in the time available.
Companies often use Chinese cakes of various kinds but this display will feature 100% Mexican made, featuring both slices and regular types. Jorge noted his display would be using around 1000 one-shots but he said that he prefers to use slice cakes for some of the firing patterns that other companies assemble from single one-shots. He said that, because everything was manufactured to order, he had slices with as few as three shots to as many as nineteen in wide fans. He said it was much faster to setup a display this way – and time is always a factor in a Montreal display.
Flame projectors will also form part of the display and Jorge is hoping these can be placed on ramp 5. These are also manufactured entirely in Mexico.
The soundtrack is divided essentially into two parts, the first being dedicated to Mexican culture, including music associated with the “Dia das los Muertos” (Day of the Dead – normally celebrated on the 1st and 2nd of November). The first laser segment will be integrated here. Then there is what Jorge described as an intermezzo, where a version Beethoven’s Ode to Joy will be supported by the second laser segment as the display moves into a more international section. The display is entitled a Feast of Emotions and Jorge said he wants the audience to experience many different emotions, the musical choices and pyrotechnical effects reflecting these.
He said he’s looking forward to both the first musical segment as well as the finale, as both of these should allow for some surprises!
