Weather became a player for yesterday evening's display as strong winds were present throughout the day and into most of the evening. Although subsiding somewhat, wind gusts still held on to their strong status during the evening, which was enough to cause the commencing of the display to be delayed by nearly five minutes, as an announcement had informed the audience just a couple of minutes before 10:00 p.m. stating that there would be a pause until 10:05 in awaiting more suitable wind speeds. As I had anticipated, winds were certainly gusty for the day and into the evening (which prompted a small delay), but I was delighted to know that the performance would be permitted to go on at roughly 10:05, though wind gusts did not really dwindle considerably during the show. At 10:00 p.m., the situation was a tad more fortunate as winds were sustained at 24 km/h with gusts at 39 km/h compared to the sustained 32 km/h during the surrounding hours of 9:00 p.m and 11:00 p.m (gusts 41 km/h). Temperatures were in the anticipated range at 24-25 C with moderate humidity. Winds were variable between the SW to WSW during the late evening, so I had a feeling that smoke was frequently blowing not only towards the right end of the audience of La Ronde, but also occasionally towards central parts as well (I sincerely hope this did not obscure the display too much).
This was a powerful, energetic and gratifying display that really lived up to its theme: Euphoria. Much of this display, as expected, revolved around exciting, moving and fast-paced soundtrack, causing some people around me to dance a little to familiar tracks while enjoying the fireworks. The opening was particularly captivating (and the most breathtaking so far) with the immediate launch of the shell of shells that had burst into a multitude of deep red stars filling the skies directly above.
Many of the colors employed were quite rich and sometimes in a good mix that often made the feeling surreal. I personally loved the purples and bright yellow/orange stars associated with the candles at low to mid level as well as the combination of red and green stars that were released from those intriguing farfalles. Product quality was superb, especially seeing the beautiful variably-colored symmetrical shells, the vibrant colors in general as well as the dazzling effects - the variety of farfalles being the most memorable. There was one particular type of farfalle that possessed an ending result of a bright yellow-creamish flare emerging from its center following the red stars, an effect that I don't believe I have across previously. It was nice to see some brilliant go-getters at high level once again along with some double-ringed shells. Fans of comets were also mesmerizing and often appeared at low level from the left to right to accompany the activity overhead, as were the fountains and mines. The nautical shells were, of course, numerous and enticing. Good balance maintained between high and low levels of sky as well as from the left to the right.
Synchronization was well executed with some distinctive spot-on timing with the mines and the fans of comets. I personally found several segments working in harmony with the given tracks, considering the fast beat involved in many of them. Transitions in this display were not always as apparent due to the rapid speed throughout the display, but there were certainly notable points to highlight, particularly the more subtle pace in the segment with all the horsetails transitioning from the prior energetic segment. Music selections were appropriate for the chosen theme and most of them were rather enjoyable, as was originally intended by the Portuguese team.
While the display was enjoyable in its entirety, there were a number of factors that I had wanted to point out. Firstly, though the colors were sometimes in both an intriguing and mystifying nature, I sometimes got the impression that a few colors became a little too predominant during some segments for my tastes - one instance being two segments employing primarily the shells of silver scintillating stars, which made those two particular pieces appear similar in design when the representing tracks were obviously different. That said, there were occasions where some of the segments had the potential to be a little more diverse in terms of effects. On a similar token, though the overall synchronization was well demonstrated, there were certain segments where I felt that a little more could have been done in representing many of those tracks, especially some of the more energetic/fast-paced tracks - a few segments, for example, terminated a little too abruptly, or just lacked sufficient energy towards their conclusion. Like Poland, though not to the same extent, the fans of comets were elegant and implemented nicely for lower level support, but again became a little redundant for my standards - they were in an interesting mix when it came to shape, color and appearance (especially the half-fans on the left and right), however. There were some nice shots at creativity in this display, but for other areas, much like Italy, I thought that they were conversely a little more in the way of simplicity. Finally, the finale was strong with suitable longevity, color (including some nice red flares lit on ramp four), and decent crescendo when initiated, but just not getting quite to the point as the pace remained virtually the same with the firing of the colored shells most of the time before the climax arrived. The salutes at the end were quite powerful, though it would have been cool if shells were being fired out of control overhead to support them! All that being said, this was a great effort leading to an overall fabulous performance. The thematic framework was much more understood and better coordinated in the Portuguese performance than the previous competitors simply because it encompassed the critical components that define it while having interactive music choices - this is what made this display stand out a little more, simply because it had direction and relevance. As such, the overall design of the display was very good, considering the use of effects and the general activity at low to high level from segment to segment.
At the end of the display came an enormous roar of approval for the Portuguese team, and I, despite my more negative remarks, felt that it was well deserved. I thoroughly enjoyed the majority of this exciting display (despite the nearly five minute delay), coupled with a nice Summer's evening, and I can say that I felt rejuvenated following the show as it was thrilling at many points.
Continuing Summer-like weather will remain with us for the week with more oppressive humidity, though there is the possibility for severe thunderstorms by Tuesday and Wednesday with a passing cold front (which won't drop the heat and humidity significantly thereafter).
Trav.
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