Hi everyone,

Please post your reviews of the Belgian display here!

Cheers,

Trav.

That was an excellent display from the Belgian team and a contender for a Jupiter!

My full review should appear here by Friday night, once in vacation!

Fred

This show started in a very disturbing way (more on that below), but it turned out to be an excellent display from the Belgian team and, I believe, a serious contender for a Jupiter. Furthermore, the atmospheric conditions were perfect, with a crescent moon in the background (from our point of view in the grandstands at La Ronde), as well as a good size audience which added to the ambiance and was vocal several times during this debut performance of HC Pyrotechnics.

So far this season, I believe HC Pyrotechnics had the best quality of pyrotechnic material and the best pyromusical design. There was a wide range of fireworks effects and firing patterns. I don’t mean there was no repetition (there was), but the diversity was enough to attract my attention during the whole performance. We have seen a number of large shells (their maximum size had been more limited in the Ukrainian and Portuguese arsenals), a couple of interesting phantom-type shells on Great Balls of Fire, and multi-break shells, among others. Many shells and other pyrotechnic effects featured one or two changes of colours. However, I was particulary impressed, during the Gloria Estefan’s Conga, with a series of mines which alternated between red and blue, displaying each color 5 or 6 times (for a total of about 10 changes of color) within approximately 3 seconds. Then, during the finale, we saw a number of shells with pistils, the pistils also alternating between red and blue, each color appearing 3 or 4 times (for a total of about 6 changes of color).

The pyromusical design was not based on a bold theme... Legends was a light concept which allowed the designer to tie a “catch-all” selection of 13 popular songs. That being said, the choice of the pyrotechnic effects really fitted with them. Of course, the four “great balls of fire” erupting at the end of that song were a strong departure from the more standard flame effects and they impressed the audience, but there was much more. On the peaceful Imagine, the design was basically monochrome, with white nautical flares, fountains, horsetails, and so on. That segment was very serene. I really appreciated the alternance between serene and active parts, which allowed to explore a variety of atmospheres, emotions, products and patterns. On the active side, the choice and the pace of effects were such that fireworks really appeared to dance with the musics, especially on Michael Jackson, Gloria Estefan, and Beyoncé. The finale was the most powerful so far this season, ending with a barrage of massive cakes of electrical comets along the fifth ramp (the closest to the audience), then followed by another series of cakes producing more dense fans of comets along the same pontoons.

As I wrote above, I appreciated the diversity of rhythms from the soundtrack. The online videos of this show can not reflect the stereophonic sound, which was obvious during certain parts of the show, especially on What a Wonderful World. Two weeks ago, I also noticed a such stereo effect, but it stroke me during the Belgian extravaganza. I wonder to what extent it is just me, or whether the new sets of loudspeakers installed on each side of the Silver section now allow (or are more effective to make) stereophonic sound. It really added an enjoyable layer to the quality of the live experience. However, there is room for more creativity in the soundtrack design. On this specific criterion, I believe Macedo’s Pirotecnia was better, while some people arguably found that epic musics, at the beginning and the closing of the Portuguese show, were not the best fit with its radio theme.

The synchronization was flawless through the show, and the technical design was strong. The density of the show was remarkable at several key moments, including the finale. The fifth ramp added to the proximity effects. For the first time this year, the surface of the lake came into life with some nautical flares. I hope for more nautical products in next shows! The fourth ramp was not used this time. Also, there were a couple of pieces fired by mistakes and, sometimes, the pontoon on the far left was more reluctant to join the celebration. But these were minor problems.

Overall, this performance brought me a lot of joy and the finale left me with a brief euphoric moment. As the outro music started, I stared up at the sky and enjoyed the moment.

My personal ranking so far :

1. HC Pyrotechnics (Belgium)
2. Macedo’s Pirotecnia (Portugal)
3. Dance of Fire (Ukraine)

ENTRANCE, PRE-SHOW AND COUNTDOWN. Last week, I ended my report with remarks about the entrance into the Silver section and the pre-show. I experienced the new protocol myself as I showed up at the “north” entrance (the one next to Démon ride). My ticket was scanned by an employee on the front line, then employees from a second line looked at all the tickets. One told me that next time I shall go through the “south” entrance (the one next to the Condor/Pirate Ship rides) but I was allowed to walk in with a stamp on my right hand. I am not sure what was the purpose of this stamp.

Then, the pre-show started with Chariots of Fire, the introduction of the crew and the Belgian national anthem. The Belgian flag was hard to see, and it is not clear whether it was due to the lack of wind or some kind of mechanical problem. (From a distance, the attendant looked like someone who was trying to fix a problem with cables.) Then the standard line-up of Vangelis’ musics continued without interruption, an improvement from previous weeks. I thought the pre-show was now properly executed, but the descriptive of the Belgian show, pre-recorded with Michel Lacroix, started around 9:59pm. From her spot, blogger and photograph Mylène Salvas looked at me doubtfully.

As this descriptive continued, a second soundtrack with the countdown performed by Michel Lacroix began, overlapping the first! At “10,“ the bridge lights began to go out, but the countdown recording stopped, while the Ferris Wheel lights remained on. Ten seconds later, the show soundtrack began and one comet from the far left pontoon was shot. Fortunately, someone turned off the firing system and no other fireworks were launched. The music continued for 45 seconds and, during this time, the Ferris Wheel lights went out in their usual sequence. Once the music stopped, we remained immersed in a dark silence for 1 minute and 50 seconds. Then, the recording of the countdown was heard again and the show properly started. It seems obvious to me that these problems, which were an extension of the chaotic situation described previously, were caused by someone from La Ronde and not from HC Pyrotechnics, and I am quite confident that the Belgian team will not be penalized. Let’s hope that everything will go smoothly next week.

Fred

Here's my report on this Jupiter contender of a display!

http://montreal-fireworks.com/ReportBlog/?p=2091

Paul

Fantastic weather conditions were present for the highly anticipated Belgian display, with a few patches of cirrus cloud accompanied by a temperature of 25-26 C and moderate humidity. Winds were coming out lightly from the ESE, though this proved problematic for some of us on Notre-Dame Street as a result of smoke being intercepted at those sections farther away from the bridge.

This was a very enjoyable display put on by the Belgian team. Spectators were treated to a show filled with many enjoyable sequences and interesting firing patterns during especially the more energetic segments, and this became quite evident with the strong opening. It seemed like the audience had more emotional ties to this display than the previous ones, though the Portuguese display was quite immersive. This is especially true as the show would frequently move back and forth in rhythm and pace. Indeed, it carried with it some swift transitions and represented some of the fasted changes in pace that I can remember in a show. The soundtrack selection was, therefore, quite enjoyable, and its meaning seemed to carry itself usually quite strongly in its execution with the pyrotechnics. As such, the pyromusical design was mostly tenacious and worked well in keeping the audience engaged throughout most of the display while featuring some very interesting choreography. Low-level sequences defined some of the signature elements that made up the songs, with fans of comets appearing stunningly. The team often did not waste time showcasing the openings of each song which kept the display alive and rich with glamor. To that end, some notable favorites were “Jailhouse Rock” and “Conga”, with “Conga” having a superb opening and overall presentation. The flame effects to conclude “Great Balls of Fire” was extremely breathtaking, and that segment itself was well done! Good use was made of the available space, though a higher shell density and nautical effects would have added more to the show.

While I enjoyed the display, some (mostly minor) negative points surfaced. In particular, I firstly found that the flow of the display was sometimes a little too disrupted by the concentration of serene moments during principally the first half of the show. Indeed, while the inclusion of serene segments is essential to evoke signature emotions from one moment to the next, I felt like it was a bit overdone in terms of the transitions occurring too swiftly and numerously. What probably would have worked better, in my mind, was to keep pace with the more energetic, fast-paced moments prior to introducing moments of serenity, rather than interchange so quickly between them. Of course, this robust up and down tendency began to diminish more during the second half of the display, but there were still a few pieces where it was still a bit abrupt. A few portions of the display also felt disproportionate in terms of how long songs lasted. Notably, “I Will Always Love You”, while an effective song, lasted for much too long and perhaps limited the use of another song or two that could have been incorporated. As such, the display might have benefitted from some additional soundtrack editing. Some of the transitions were also a little loose, especially noticeable before and after “Jailhouse Rock".

At the same time, I found myself thinking deeper into the display that the technical design needed to be more explorative in its thematic representation, and more specifically for some of the soundtrack used. Collectively, the soundtrack representation sometimes lacked complexity/creativity to really stand out. For example, during “What a Beautiful World”, I thought that perhaps a rainbow effect or an arched firing pattern could have been used to represent the structural integrity of a rainbow, much like how shells of hearts (which almost always dazzle the audience) were employed in “I Will Always Love You”. Also, the firing pattern became somewhat monotonous to represent one song to the next, and so some segments appeared similar in their presentation rather taking on a more complex and unique appearance. In light of this, the drooping effects were used fairly excessively during the serene segments, so this took away some of the complexity aspect away from the overall delivery of the show. Finally, the theme, “Legends” was not always clear in this show and seemed lightly represented. I felt more the connection in terms of the legendary artists for the songs (which was suggested in Paul’s interview) that were used for the show, so it could perhaps be interpreted as a tribute to “legends”.

Overall, as mentioned, a very enjoyable and immersive display, which I think appealed greatly to the audience. The finale was also nicely executed. I just felt like a higher degree of complexity would have really brought the display to another level of visual appeal and creativity, especially considering the extent of complexity that was already showcased in this performance.

Trav.