Hi everyone,

I temporarily posted this in the 2022 review section, but it can easily be transferred to the 2023 reviews once that section is created.

In any case, please post your reviews of the Ukrainian display here!

Trav.

The first night of each season of this competition is a special night : it is the time to enjoy large scale pyromusical shows after months of privation, to see fireworks friends again, and to assess all the changes – minor or major – which occur from one season to the next. But tonight was also a very particular one. First, I was relieved to see a show, after the unprecedented cancellation of the opening display scheduled last week due to the smoke caused by the forest fires in Northern Québec, and the fear of seeing the whole season be cancelled. Hopefully the remaining of the 2023 season won’t be jeopardized again.

Second, this performance - as well as the decision of La Ronde to invite an Ukrainian competitor this year – clearly had a major political component. The theme selected by Dance of Fire, “Ukrainian Fire for the Hearts of Canadians,” was a good indication of this orientation. It was also clearly stated, in both Canadian official languages, towards the end of the show. Indeed, the narrator said : “On behalf of all Ukrainians, we express our heartful gratitude to the people of Canada for supporting Ukraine in this struggle for freedom and independence. Glory for Canada! Glory for Ukraine!” (with cheers and applauses from the audience). While a number of fireworks displays in Montreal have had a political component over the years, it is rarely as clear as in this case. Furthermore, La Ronde had advertized July 6 as the “Day for Peace” and invited visitors to dress in white for this special occasion.

I hope the Ukrainian people in Montreal were proud of their pyrotechnic ambassadors. We may argue that achieving a such performance on the international stage for a team from a country experiencing an active war on its own territory – something unparalleled in the history of this competition, as far as I know – is actually an exploit. Beyond this particular context, Dance of Fire did a very good performance in my opinion.

I would start with the soundtrack which reflected very well the theme of the show. The idea to combine songs from the visiting country and Canada reminded me the soundtrack composed by Weco for its Platinum-awarded show in 2004, which intertwined German and Canadian musics. We barely hear Ukrainian songs here, so it sounded original and unusual for a pyromusical show, in contrast with a common line-up of popular songs or movie scores. The team inserted four songs performed by Canadians, two in French and two in English. And, generally speaking, the synchronization of the pyrotechnics with the soundtrack was very good.

On the technical design, the show was a “small” one given the standard of this competition. It was clear from an overview of the setup and from the show itself. But, I would say, not too small. The team successfully kept a good density throughout the performance (though maybe with too many candles, we may argue). It used a set of pontoons to create a fifth ramp, bringing some effects closer to the audience. However, there were not so much things to see at the highest level in the sky. Also, nautical products have not been used tonight.

I believe the main aspect to improve whether this team as an opportunity to visit Montréal again in more peaceful conditions, is to feature a broader range of products. In addition to the limited size of the shells used in this show, I found the material not to be very sophisticated (some changes of colours, but few multi-effect shells or multi-break shells, etc.).

This was my 230th official display at La Ronde. It was also the first show since the retirement of competition director Martyne Gagnon, whose position has not been fulfilled by someone else. In this time of uncertainties and instability, it was good to see her again, seated near her traditional spot – while in the grandstands, this time – and to meet her in the newly relocated Salon des artificiers (now in the Jupiter building, a large (and air conditioned!) venue behind the Goliath and across La Marina). Due to the cancellation of the opening show, the opening ceremony was executed tonight, with Michel Lacroix as a master of ceremony, and La Ronde president Sophie Émond doing a speech, which didn’t follow the same wording than the previous speeches delivered by Martyne Gagnon. Once the ceremony was over, it took a couple of minutes before we hear the usual Vangelis’ soundtrack. At the time of the display, the lights of the Jacques-Cartier bridge were turned off in synchronization with the countdown. However, it was not the case for the Grande Roue (ferris wheel), which was turned off 4 minutes after the start of the show. Unfortunately, few people attended this debut show, large sections of the grandstands remaining empty. I guess that La Ronde leadership anticipated a very low attendance when they announced, during the afternoon, that some categories of tickets were suddenly sold with a 50% discount.

Fred

My review is here: http://montreal-fireworks.com/ReportBlog/?p=2044

Paul.

Following the cancellation of the opening show (and the first-ever cancellation outside the pandemic) in response to the poor air quality sustained by the ongoing Northern Quebec forest fire situation, much cleaner air accompanied by hot and very humid weather conditions were present for this debutante country/company. Indeed, the display temperature was resolutely holding onto 27 C, and the humidex was 34 C, making this likely the warmest and most humid fireworks day this year. Fortunately, breezy Southerlies to SSW winds allowed the smoke to drift clear to the right of the La Ronde audience, which was especially important under such a high humidity standard. Lightning could also be seen flickering in the distance with an isolated multi-cell thunderstorm family around Napierville for just over an hour prior to display time. Despite the real Summer conditions, the crowd on Notre-Dame Street remained relatively small than in recent years.

The Ukrainian display was quite interesting under several respects. Upon its inception, it was not always clear what the thematic premise would look like through the pyrotechnics, and what sort of technical design would be employed to reinforce such a theme. I envisioned a framework commanding some sort of strong political message, given the ongoing war situation in the nation. To that end, I did actually detect this to some degree as the display unfolded, especially through the musical choices used. I actually found the selection of songs mostly very passionate, and they usually evoked the correct emotional feelings from one segment to the next, carefully choosing the right changes in rhythm and tempo to make for some fairly clean transitions.

The palette of color and range of effects were more reserved. There was tendency for more traditional colors, which worked well with the display overall. The use of such colors, in some ways, showcased and reminded us of the unshakable determination in the Ukrainian spirit. Not only that, but despite the limited number of shells used in the display, as well as the relatively small arsenal of effects, and the generally basic firing pattern choice, the plethora of high energy somehow managed to make itself known. Therefore, although the show itself adopted a more rudimentary technical design, this simplistic approach seemed to work well with the music in weaving (sometimes cleverly) signature elements of the theme together. I felt especially engaged to the third segment, I think entitled “City”, as it seemed to capture nicely a variety of emotions and left more to be desired. Granted, there were some musical selections that were not always clear in relation to the theme, but I personally liked the fluidity that the display ultimately commanded, and it sent its message across. The finale was fairly short, but it was still a nice way to conclude this enjoyable performance.

As hinted in my review, areas for improvement would include employing a higher extent of complexity, even though at times the simplistic design of the show made it come across as more intricate in appearance and feel. The transitions, as mentioned, worked very well, but there were a few that were a little on the abrupt side of the spectrum. Shortening some of the soundtrack would also be ideal as a means of allowing for more (relevant) musical tracks to be integrated, increasing audience engagement and thereby increasing the thematic representation. Similarly, it would be even more effective to increase the number of effects for the different songs used to reach closer to note-tight synchronization, and bringing to life the music more elaborately. A few moments of asymmetry, but nothing to detract from the show.

Overall, an enjoyable display!

Trav.