Le Mondial SAQ 2001
Montréal International Fireworks Competition Report
Germany An Evening of Opera June 27th, 2001
NICO-Lünig Event GmBH designed by Matthias Lünig, traditional electrical firing
"For it's fifth participation on the competition, this team from Stuttgart and winners of one gold and two silver Jupiters in the past, will set off their fireworks in convert with seven well-known operas".
Several days of tropical-heat weather looked like they'd be spoiled by thunderstorms. Luckily, the largest of the storms rolled by to the East, providing only a few raindrops before the skies cleared out entirely in time for the display to begin. This previous gold and silver Jupiter winning team made their first return to Montréal since 1995 and fired their seven-part show manually.
Part 1 to the music Barcelona by M. Caballer and Freddy Mercury. The display opened with tourbillon mines with silver shells above, rapidly followed by salutes and then shells of red and blue. Beneath these, cakes of blue stars with double concentric ring shells above. Then cakes of silver crossette comets and shells of the same above followed by rising tail shells bursting to red stars and then blue stars. Next, shells of crackling comets followed by gold glitter comet shells and then shells of thick pale gold comets. These were followed by bright crackling comets with shells of white balls and tourbillons above. Then shells of silver comets followed by high weeping-willow kamuro shells. These were followed by weeping willow shells with the stars ending in silver. Next, shells with double colour-changing stars followed by large shells of willow comets and blue stars, then shells of willow comets and blue stars turning to red. The segment came to a close with large shells of blue changing to white and then large white shells turning to crackle.
Part 2 to the music Four Seasons - Summer by A. Vivaldi. This segment began with comet cakes with blue star shells above followed by cakes of crackle and tourbillons. Next, large shells bursting into the shapes of opening flowers in blue and red followed by a repeating sequence of crackling mines, rising tail shells bursting to colour flowers and more crackling mines. Next, rising tail shells bursting to gold and crackling comets and then more crackling mines with white-headed crackling comet shells above. Then mines of silver comets with green ball shells above, followed by a barrage of titanium salutes with red rising tail shells bursting to blue stars and then shells of stars and starfish silver comets, the segment coming to a close with crackling comet shells.
Part 3 to the music The Blue Danube by J. Strauss. A front of large mines was followed by a line of strobe-pots and then crackling mines synchronized to each bar of the music. After this, willow shells and then shells of star headed kamuro comets followed by fan clusters of comets and cakes of bees. Next, crossed comet bombette cakes or candles bursting to more bees and tourbillons. These were followed by bright pale-gold and yellow comet shells, with volley after volley of these whilst the cakes/candles continued below. Then hard breaking gold comet shells criss-crossing in the sky with cakes of pastel coloured stars below. Then shells with one half in one colour and the other in another. These were followed by a really large kamuro shell with the stars trailing to the lake and then followed by double concentric ring and shaped-burst shells in the form of star shapes. Barrage after barrage of the double concentric ring shells, some in stars, some in comets were followed by blue bombette cakes and then shells of comets, salutes and whistles. Next, a repeating sequence of comet and tourbillon cakes, crackling mines and crossed thick white comets. Next, crackling shells with titanium salutes and shells of blue and red stars followed by more blue bombette cakes. Then rising tail shells bursting to gold glitter followed by shells of bees and more gold glitter. These were followed by shells of red, blue and white with thick comets below with lines of mines and cakes of bright blue headed comets. The segment was brought to a close with a large weeping willow shell turning to silver.
Part 4 to the music O sole mio by A. Boccelli. Shells with crackling rising tails bursting to crackling and gold comets followed by shells of pale gold comets opened this segment. Then cakes of firefly comets and blue and silver bombettes followed by more of the pale gold comet shells. Next, flower petal tourbillon shells with coloured pistils followed by barrages of large colour changing shells with strobing pistils. Next, shells of red-headed crossette comets followed by shells of blue stars. These were followed by shells of half red and half blue with colour changing stars and then shaped-burst shells in the shape of stars. More half and half colour shells with rings and some shells with half colour stars and half comets. These were followed by repeated large willow shells turning to silver and followed by gold glitter and pale gold comet shells. Next, shells of white stars followed by silver crackling comet shells and then silver glitter comets turning to strobes. The segment coming to a close with large shells of silver comets then bursting into crackling clusters at the end.
Part 5 to the music Tosca-e lucevan le stelle by Puccini. A line of fountains opened up as a flight of girandolas rose into the air on columns of sparks, breaking into colour stars as they ascended. Above these, shells of willow stars turning to blue as the fountains below increased in height. Next, shells of blue stars opening in a flower-like cone shape with one of these flower-potting at launch. Then some remarkable shells which burst into a sphere of crackle, turning to willow comets and then a second sphere of crackle, with barrages of large titanium salutes. The noise increased at this point with rising tail shells bursting to crackle with more barrages of titanium salutes and hard-breaking gold comets shells. Barrages of large kamuro shells were followed by crossette and blue bombette cakes, the segment coming to a close with cakes of tourbillons.
Part 6 to the music En aranjuez con tu amor sung by S. Brightman. This began with a couple of vertical wheels which eventually started to turn with cakes of bees in front and then shells of half stars and half comets above. Then bright blue-headed silver crossette comets with shells of half blue stars and half comets above. These were followed by shells of bright-headed go-getter comets and then shells in red and blue. Next, shells of paler go-getters and bow-tie shaped comet shells. Shells of crackling comets and silver kamuros were followed by shells of whistling tourbillons with comet pistils and then more really large shells of stars and crackle. Barrages of colour star and comet shells were followed by more of the shells of double spheres of crackle followed by shells of blue stars turning to crackling clusters, the segment coming to a close with a very loud front of crackling comet cakes.
Part 7 to the music 1812 Overture by Tchaïkovsy. The finalé began at a fast pace with cakes of whistling tourbillons salutes and bombettes. Then more barrages of salutes, mines of thick silver comets followed by gold glittering comet shells above and then the same in cakes below. These were repeated and followed by more of the hard breaking gold comet shells and then a repeated sequence of strobe stars, which initially began as very bright orange stars. These were repeated, filling the sky with bright strobe-stars. The pace became more intense as shells of silver comets and salutes, more mines of thick silver comets and barrages of colour and comet shells above. The sky began to be filled with shells and barrages of salutes, crackling comets as a final huge kamuro exploded high in the sky, trailing its stars to the ground in the final seconds as the salute and other shell barrage below faded out. The crowd cheered their approval.
This was a very enjoyable display and an excellent start to the competition proper. There were some really excellent shells, particularly the many different forms of crackling comets and crackling cluster shells, as well as the brilliant blue-headed crossette comet and gold glitter shells. Synchronization was pretty good throughout, especially during "the Blue Danube", but it was not as tight as an electronically-fired display. Whilst this was an excellent display, I have the feeling that it was, perhaps, just a bit too "traditional" compared to some of the displays we've had in the past couple of years of competition. Also, no use was made of the lake, which is a slight negative point in my opinion. Still very enjoyable though.
Thanks to the public relations people of La Ronde for the official
press release material, shown in white.
