1998 l'International Benson & Hedges Montréal Pyromusical Competition Report

Austria Celebrated Dances Saturday June 20^th, 1998

Günter Vogler

A perfect warm summer evening was the scene for the display by last year's debutante Bronze Jupiter winners. In collaboration with a small french company, Artisans du Spectacle, who provided 50% of the material for the display with pyromusical choreography by Jean-Pierre Amrein. Fortunately, the husband and wife Voglers weren't injured when part of their workshops suffered an explosion, but because of the considerable damage, weren't present this evening for the eight-part display.

Part 1 to the music Invitation to the Dance by Carl Maria von Weber. The display opened to a barrage of glitter shells and titanium salutes with charcoal comet candles in fan shapes below. These were followed by charcoal glitter candles, also in fan shapes, with shells of gold glitter comets and blue balls above. Next, fan-comet candles in pale gold, with comet and blue shells turning to fireflies above. These were followed by a front of mines of small silver stars, then a front of crossette comet mines with colour-changing ball shells above. Then shells of white comets with a rack of fast-firing glitter comet candles in the centre of the lake. Next, a line of candles firing red and white crackling balls, with large shells of red stars above. The segment was brought to a close with a volley of red and white ball shells and huge shells of stars in small bunches.

Part 2 to the music Slavic Dances by Antonin Dvorak. A group of white fountains in the centre of the lake and a line of glitter fountains opened this segment. Then pattern shells of rings in pastel colours followed by another group of fountains in the lake centre. Above these, shells of colour stars and comets followed by serpent comets in glitter and then shells of crossettes. Next, more ring shells and candles of gold tourbillons below followed by several mine fronts. Then shells of comets turning to fireflies and another front of mines. More fountains fired up in the centre of the lake with shells of colour balls turning to crackle above. A line of candles firing very fast spinning tourbillons were complemented shells of blue balls, comets and tourbillons followed by multi-breaks and titanium salute barrages. Then more of the ball to crackle shells with the segment brought to a close by a huge weeping-willow shell where the comets turned to red at the end of their burn.

Part 3 to the music Marsch Frühlingsparade by R. Stolz. White strobe-pots with glitter comet shells above opened this segment. Then shells of charcoal crossette comets turning to crackle followed by shells of colour changing balls ending in crackle and fireflies. Next, huge shells of comets with colour ball pistils. These were repeated many times in different colours and followed by multi-break spider shells. Then shells of blue with twinkling pistils with bombette candles below. Next, a huge colour changing shell and a huge willow shell with pistil and comets turning to silver. This was followed by shells of go-getters and more colour changing shells and then a huge blue ball and gold willow comet shell. A volley of ball shells and a barrage of titanium salutes led into shells of charcoal comets turning to crackle, white comets turning to crackle, shells with comets and pistils, shaped-burst shells producing bows and more ball and crackle shells. Then a repeated theme consisting of blue and gold comet shells, glitter comet and colour, multi-break titanium salute barrages, blue and gold turning to crackle and white crossette comets. The segment was brought to a close with a huge weeping willow shell with small clusters of stars embedded within.

Part 4 to the music Weißt Du es noch by E. Kalman. Red flares and white comet candles opened up in the centre of the lake with more red flares at the back of the display area. A barrage of salutes was followed by some really nice shells of red stars which fell a long way. These were repeated several times and then a line of crackling bombette and crackling comet candles with white fountains in the lake centre. Next, shells of ball stars turning to crackle, a barrage of titanium salutes, shells of crossette comets and another barrage of titanium salutes. Then shells of small star clusters with crossette candles below. A line of red flares lit up with multi-break palm-tree shells above, with the comets turning white and then to fireflies. The segment was brought to a close with a volley of blue and gold comet shells and finally a volley of firefly shells.

Part 5 to the music Gopak by Aram Ilitch Katchatourian. Large shells of blue stars and charcoal comets, followed by huge colour changing shells with loudly hissing tourbillon candles was the theme repeated several times for the opening of this segment. Then red ball candles in the centre with a line of bombette and tourbillon candles. Above these, more and more shells of blue stars and gold comets followed by larger and larger shells of colour stars and white comets turning to crackle with some go-getters. Then bombette candles with colour changing shells above followed by huge shells of colour balls, white balls, willow comets, tourbillons, glitter and crackle. The segment was brought to a close with a dramatic front of loudly hissing dazzling firefly mines.

Part 6 to the music Badner Madl'n by K. Komzak. A silver vertical wheel and a group of silver fountains in the centre of the lake opened this segment. Then another group of even brighter fountains opened up with mines of white comets and shells of the same above. Next, crazy tourbillon candles in the centre of the lake with ring shells above. Then a very dramatic mass firing of horizontal colour ball candles from the centre of the lake with the stars covering the entire lake. Above this, shells of rings with pistils. Next, a repeated theme of low bombettes, with glitter to ball to firefly shells above. Then shells of blue and gold comets, triple colour changing shells with tourbillon bombette candles. Next, some great pattern shells with propeller shapes, multiple intersecting rings and other shapes followed by more blue and gold comet shells. Then a repeated theme of blue ball and glitter comet shells, weeping willow turning to red balls and blue and white comets turning to crackle. This was followed by a barrage of willow shells turning to fireflies with candles of crossette ball stars and tourbillon bombettes below. Then shells of the flower tourbillons in rings and shells of the crossette ball stars with bombettes of wiggly comets below. Fronts of silver mines were followed by shells of blue to crackle and comet to fireflies. Volleys of fast ball shells, willow to colour and shells with relatively few, but large gold comets were followed by huge comet and pistil shells, shells of balls to crackle and the segment was brought to a close with some huge weeping willow shells.

Part 7 to the music Under thunder and flash by Johann Strauss. This began very dramatically with barrage after barrage of huge nautic mines, so that the whole lake was exploding deafeningly with hemispheres of stars. Then candles of delightful double-ended tourbillons giving the impression of a rotating Z shapes. Above these ball shells and low breaking comet shells with screaming whistles and crackle. Then more of the Z tourbillons with shells of few but large bright comets above. More colour ball to crackle shells with whistling tourbillon candles below followed by shells of comets and balls above with whistling bombettes at a mid-level. Repeated segments of colour to crackle shells were followed by loud barrages of titanium salutes from bombettes with the noise and pace increasing. The segment was brought to a thunderous close with huge shells of colour stars with rings of titanium salutes around.

Part 8 to the music Can-Can by Jacques Offenbach. The finale began with crossette ball candles with multi colour changing shells above followed by all sorts of pattern shells and fronts of mines below. The pace increased with huge volleys of all sorts of shells, then backed off with crossette comet candles and started to increase again with more and more barrages of shells. As the music began to reach its conclusion, the sky was filled with enormous barrages of every type of shell used in the display, thunderous barrages of titanium salutes. Finally, a slight pause and a barrage of titanium salutes and multi-break shells brought the display to a dramatic conclusion, to roars of delight from the crowd.

This was an excellent display. The choice of material was really great and the horizontal firing of ball candles over the lake was particularly enjoyable. The only criticism is that the synchronization to the music wasn't too tight. The finale was good, though a little bit more noise could have made a great display into a fantastic one. My current rankings are Spain/Italy for the Gold/Silver with France for the Bronze, followed very closely by Austria. The Gold could go either way but currently I think Spain has the edge.