Le Mondial SAQ 2001
Montréal International Fireworks Competition Report

Spain Glamour 2001 Wednesday July 11^th, 2001

Pirotécnia Igual S.A., design by Isidre Panella, traditional electrical firing

"Spain's pyromusical shows are always very popular with Montréalers - and for just cause. In the history of the Competition, Spain has won 12 Jupiters, the most for any one country. Pirotécnia Igual S.A. also holds the record for the greatest amount of Jupiters garnered by one firm, having taken home a total of 6 (Gold in 1988, Silver in 1996 and Bronze in 1985, 1987, 1992 and 1999)."

Continued cool and threatening weather didn't stop this Spanish team warming the crowds with their fiesta of colour and fire. With all the material produced by Igual for this show, the vast amounts of product laid out promised an exciting display, especially the angled mortars aimed over the lake containing nautic shells.

Part 1 to the music Evocacion Catalana by E. Morera. The display began with bright mines with shaped burst shells of a central ring surrounded by four other rings. Then large shells of blue stars and charcoal comets followed by more bright mines. Above these, gold glitter shells turning to gold strobe followed by mines of wiggling silver comets. The pace of the music changed as a line of clusters of three fountains opened up. Above these, shells of colour comets turning to stars with crossed glitter comet candles below. Then mines of really bright pale-yellow headed comets followed by more of the colour comet to star shells. These were followed by shells of go-getters and a barrage of colour comet to star shells. Then mines of silver glitter comets with shells of crackling crossette comets above followed by more mines of glitter. A barrage of bright colour shells was followed by a huge colour changing shell, bringing the segment to a close, to great cheers from the crowd.

Part 2 to the music Navarra by Albeniz. This segment opened with left and right firing comets followed by shells of tourbillons and shells of glitter comets. Then barrages of the comet to colour shells with bursts of wiggling comet mines below followed by the mines of bright star-headed comets as shells of charcoal comets with blue pistils burst above. More shells of blue pistils and charcoal comets as well as shells of tourbillons with wiggling comet mines below. Then shells of purple stars with a center of crackling starfish comets. Mines of comets were followed by more of the purple shells with crackling starfish comets forming a repeating sequence which was followed by single and multiple ring shaped burst shells in pastel colours. Then huge colour shells, double concentric ring shells, the segment coming to a close with a barrage of go-getter shells.

Part 3 to the music La Boda de Luis Alonso by J. de Burgos. The next segment began with a flight of double ascension girandolas to great cheers from the crowd. Then candles of wiggling comets and another flight of double ascension girandolas with shells of tourbillons above and then even more girandolas to continued cheers from the crowd. A large volley of shells with a final massive colour changing shell ending in silver brought this segment to a close.

Part 4 to the music The Blue Danube by J. Strauss. This began with mines of wiggling silver comets and then charcoal comet candles in a right-firing line followed by glittering characoal comet candles in a vertical-firing line and then gold glitter comet candles in a left-firing line. Colour star candles also opened up and were followed by mines of wiggling comets and mines of dense clusters of comets. Repeated bursts of red go-getters were followed by the same in green and then mines of the bright star-headed comets, mines of glitter comets and mines of wiggly comets. These were followed by more go-getter shells. Next, mines of bright comets with shells of charcoal comets with colour pistils above. These were followed by shells of silver glitter comets and then candles with star-headed comets with shells of glitter comet crossettes above. Then mines of bright lemon-yellow headed comets with shells of tourbillons above followed by more of the lemon-yellow headed comet mines. This formed a repeating sequence and was followed by shells of charcoal comets with colour changing pistils and mines of wiggling comets below. Then barrages of the flower-like tourbillon shells with blue pistils and then shells of crossette colour stars as the music moved seamlessly to:

Part 5 to the music The Flower Waltz by Tchaïkovsky. Shells of colour changing stars which became crossettes burst above as candles of the lemon-yellow headed meteor comets fired below and were followed by shells of the same lemon-yellow headed comets. Then shells of rings with pistils with bombette candles below followed by colour comet shells above. These were followed by shells of the tourbillon flowers with pistils, regular tourbillon shells and mines of wiggling whistling comets below. A repeating sequence of shaped-burst shells with spiral patterns, crossed comet candles and shells of go-getters was followed by fronts of bright mines. Then more shaped-burst shells in rings and multiple intersecting rings with more bright comet mines below. The pace increased with barrages of shells with pistils, the segment coming to a close with a barrage of multi-break shell-of-shells.

Part 6 to the music Ocean Sea by Vangelis. Flights of rockets bursting to slow-falling twinkling stars were followed by a line of fountains in double-V shaped clusters of three as more rockets flew and burst. The fountains became brighter and whiter as more rockets rose into the air, bursting to colour stars which changed into the slow falling twinklers. Beneath these, crossed pink ball candles and crossed glitter comet candles as the lake lit-up with nautic fountains. Above these, shells of bright silver comets as the nautic fountains terminated by shooting up silver comets. Then more bright silver comet shells above a line of fountains with pairs of fountains at each vertex of a square opened up. Then set-pieces in silver strobe lances spelling out letters and symbols as shells of strobe-stars burst above, strobe mines were fired and the lake became filled with nautic strobes, bringing this serene segment to a close.

Part 7 to the music Eternity by Vangelis. Multi-break shell-of-shells of crackling glitter and barrages of salutes were followed by whistling comet mines, volleys of crackling comet shells and more multi-break shell-of-shells of gold comets. Then more whistling comet mines, salutes and again multi-break shell-of-shells of gold glitter comets. This theme repeated with volleys of titanium salutes, multi-break shell-of-shells of comets and fantastic nautic shells in the lake. Then volleys of colour comet shells, fronts of whistling comet mines, mines of salute-terminated comets and shells of silver comets. Then shells of go-getters, shells of comets with pistils, huge shells of colour changing stars and comets, the segment coming to a close with huge mines and a barrage of shells.

Part 8 to the music Twenty-eighth Parallel by Vangelis. Fronts of bright mines were followed by shells of comet to colour and then mines of tourbillons. Then a repeating sequence of bright colour-star headed comet candles with barrages of comet to colour shells above as the music moved seamlessly to:

Part 9 to the music Consecration of Spring by Stravinsky. Candles of silver bombettes were followed by right-firing comet candles with shells of pastel-colour rings above and mines of bright colours below. Then shells of crossette comets and a repeating sequence of shaped-burst shells with a central ring and bow-tie comets either side, with mines of whistling comets below. These were followed by barrages of titanium salutes and both candles and shells of very bright lemon-yellow star headed silver comets. Then more mines of whistling comets with more of the ring-and-bowtie shells above and shaped burst shells of purple hearts as the music moved seamlessly to:

Part 10 to the music Faust by Gounod. This segment began with comet to colour shells with the bright star-headed meteor comet candles below followed by barrages of shells of the lemon-yellow headed meteor comets and then shells of rings. Then a repeated sequence of barrages of salutes, bright lemon-yellow headed meteor comet shells and mines of salutes. Then lots of shells of comets and shells of bright pale-yellow flashes followed by huge shells of colour stars with crackling comets as well. Next, shells of the crossette colour stars and more shells (or possibly rockets) of the bright flashes. These were followed by salutes and large shells of go-getters followed by shells of purple stars with crackling comet pistils, the segment coming to a close with a very well timed massive colour shell breaking exactly on the beat.

Part 11 to music from the filmRobocop II by Rosenman. Clusters of charcoal comets were followed by charcoal rising tail bombettes, barrage after barrage of these forming the appearance of groves of palm trees. Then pastel colour bombettes with shells of willow comets with blue tips above. These were followed by mines of wiggling comets with shells of comets to colour above and also shells of charcoal comet and colour stars. Then shells of crackling charcoal comets with salute-terminated comet candles below as the music moved seamlessly to:

Part 12 to music from the filmApocalypse Now by Wagner. Flights of rockets bursting to glitter were followed by candles of glitter comets and mines of salutes. Then rockets bursting to fast strobing stars and then a huge glitter comet shell as more rockets rose into the air. Then barrages of charcoal comet shells, rising tail shells of charcoal comets with blue stars as the music moved seamlessly to:

Part 13 to the music Music by J. Miles. Mines of bright salute-terminated comets with shells of rings above were followed by mines of silver with double concentric ring shells above. Then left and right firing mines and salutes with shells one ring around another (like the electrons in a helium atom). These were repeated as the mines of comets and salutes below kept up their firing. Then shells of glitter turning to strobe-stars with mines of clusters of blue stars as huge kamuro shells with blue star ends started to fill the sky above. The number increased with mines of the same kamuro comet stars, the same in shells above, then mines of the same comets but with blue tips with the same in shells above. The segment came to a close with an enormous kamuro comet shell ending up as strobe stars.

Part 14 to the music Somebody by George Michael. This segment began with whistling comet mines with ring shells above. Then mines of glitter comets and bright comet mines. Above these, shells with six clusters of colour-tipped charcoal comets. These were repeated and followed by mines of charcoal comets turning to strobe-stars with the same above in shells. Next, shells of tourbillons and shells of crackling comets. These were followed by fronts of huge dazzling mines and shells of bright silver comets above. The pace started to increase with volleys of titanium salutes, huge barrages of massive colour shells, more and more salute. The pace increased yet further with what appeared to be the finale, the sky filled with volley after volley of shells and salutes, the crowd cheering as it came to an end, thinking it was over. But, of course, it was only the faux finale.

Part 15 to the music Rendez-vous by Jean-Michel Jarre. After the intensity of the faux finale many people thought the show was over and were getting ready to leave. Big mistake! The real finale was even more intense with massive barrages of huge shells, round after round of thunderous titanium salutes and lake-filling bursts of fabulous nautic shells. I couldn't even begin to take notes, and just wrote "out of control - WOW!" in my notebook, as my hands were shaking at this point. A fantastic end to a fabulous display.

This was a fantastic display and must be in contention for a prize. People I spoke to at the end were breathless from the exciting faux and real finalés, especially with all the terrific nautic shells. The quality of the product was excellent, with the fabulous lemon-yellow comets being particularly notable, as well, of course, as the brilliant nautic devices. The girandolas are always crowd pleasers too. Synchronization was good for the most part, especially considering this was a manually fired show. The competition is certainly heating up now.

Thanks to the public relations people of La Ronde for the official press release material, shown in white.