Piano in the Sky
Dull, grey skies gave way to a magnificent sunset and perfect conditions for newcomer IPON’s entry into the competition. With more than 90% of the fireworks specially constructed in the south of Italy, this promised to be an interesting ten-part display.
Part 1 to the music Tocatta and Fugue in D-minor by J.S. Bach. The display opened with a central rank of strobe-pots. As the music swelled, another rank of strobe-pots opened to the right, then another to the left – just like ranks of organ pipes. Then mines of blue stars on the centre podium, followed by colour and comet shells above. Then more mines and shells above. These were followed by gold glitter comet candles with large colour and comet shells above. This segment came to a close with a barrage of white glitter mines.
Part 2 to the music Slave’s Chorus – Nabucco by Verdi. This began with white hissing ball candles. Then white comet shells and a barrage of titanium salutes. Then another volley of comet shells and titanium salutes, and another and another. Next, a line of fountains, with lines of blue star mines interspersed. As the fountains increased in size, crossette comet candles fired up and increased in number. Above this, shells of tourbillons similar in form to the scallop-type used by Germany. Then a volley of large white comet shells followed by a front of dazzling pink star mines and then glitter mines. Above this, shell after shell of the scallop-type tourbillons surrounded by a ring of stars to give the effect of large cauliflowers in the sky. Then another front of pink star mines and glitter mines. The synchronization to the music was flawless at this point. Next, a line of dazzling white fountains lit up. Above this, colour changing star shells of red to blue, blue to red, green to red etc. Then shells of blue stars and the cauliflower tourbillons. Then the same thing but with green stars. The segment came to a close with really large white slow falling comet shells to the enthusiastic applause of the audience.
Part 3 to the music Chorus of the Tziganes – La Traviata by Verdi. Large multi-break star shells in red and blue opened this section followed by shells of charcoal comets with long tails, some with gold glitter. This was repeated many times with great synchronization to the music. Then white comets shells with glitter and glitter mines on the ground. Then barrage after barrage of colour star shells with huge fast breaks which made the stars whiz across the sky. Next, shells of the cauliflower tourbillons followed by barrages of titanium salutes and shells with pistils. This was repeated again and again and again. Next, huge multi-break shells which appeared to just hang in the air until all of the shells released from the break burst simultaneously in dramatically perfect synchronization to the music. Next, shells with tourbillons colour stars and salutes and shells of blue stars. More huge multi-breaks, a barrage of titanium salutes and then white slow falling comets shells and more blue shells below this. Another barrage of the fast break colour shells, then barrage after barrage of titanium salutes, the segment being brought to a dramatic close with a massive multi-break in perfect synchronization to the music. Huge round of applause from the audience.
Part 4 to the music Turandot by Puccini. This began with tourbillon candles, where the tourbillon appeared to be shooting sparks from both ends. Above these, cauliflower type tourbillon shells. Next, a front of blindingly bright white comet mines, with white slow fall comet shells above. This was repeated and repeated until the air was filled with white slow falling comets. Then another front of the blinding comet mines with the comet shells above. Next, colour star and cauliflower tourbillon shells and a huge barrage of salutes. This was quickly followed by multi-break after multi-break, shells with pistils and another barrage of salutes. Then multi-breaks of blue star and charcoal comet shells moving rapidly to a grove of white palm-tree shells. Then a really enormous charcoal comet shell with the comets turning white and filling the sky. Then again but with glittering gold fronds, and again and again and again giving a great three-dimensional effect with the falling fronts. This great segment was brought to a close with volley after volley of dazzling firefly shells. Another great response from the audience.
Part 5 to the music Barcarolle by Offenbach. A more serene theme for this segment as it opened to a line of fountains with smallish green star mines interspersed. As the fountains got larger, crossed white comets fired from left and right, forming a glittering ballet of fire. Then a number of nautic fountains burst from the lake and appeared to pirouette around in the water, with delicately spinning tourbillons from candles pirouetting above these. Wave after wave of gold comets with gold shells above followed this in perfect synchronization to the music, bringing the ballet to a close.
Part 6 to the music Für Elise by Beethoven. Another delicately serene segment with small blue star mines fired with every note of the music opening in perfect synchronization. Then these changed to purple mines. A line of bright white fountains opened up with red mines, then green mines, again to every note. As the theme of the music changed, fan shaped comets in red fired up. When the primary theme returned, bright green star mines to every note. The music moving towards the end gave comet shells finally ending on the last chord with a large weeping-willow shell. Very delicate and impressive segment.
Part 7 to the music Radetzky’s March by Johanne Strauss. A more dramatic theme demanded more dramatic fireworks and the segment opened with a hugh cauliflower type tourbillon shell with glitter mines below. Then colour star shells in red and blue with gold glitter comet candles below. After this, multi-breaks with sequenced rather than simultaneous breaks of charcoal comets. Then again but with glitter mixed in, then again with white comets. Next, shells of blue stars and white glitter comets, purple star shells, green star shells, red star shells and a mixture of colours and comets with glitter mines on the ground. Then a flight of blue star shells and barrage after barrage of multi-break star and salute shells to bring the segment to a close.
Part 8 to the music Tritsch Tratsch Polka by Richard Strauss. This opened with salute and tourbillon candles with shells of charcoal comets turning silver or to blue above. Then again, then a sudden barrage of tourbillons and multi-breaks of small colour stars above. Next, a screaming front of wiggling comets followed by crackling dragon’s eggs candles. Above this, a massive multi-break which filled the air with criss-crossing comets and then screaming whistles from candles below with more dragon’s eggs. Next, some really high pitched pure-tone whistles which I’ve never heard before with shells of charcoal comets turning to red stars above. This was repeated over and over and then more multi-break shells and crackling glittery salute candles below. More and more multi-breaks with salutes and really loud thumping bottom shots and shells with pistils brought this segment to a close with a loud roar from the audience.
Part 9 to the music Gataneh by Khatchaturian. A large barrage of colour shells followed by the cauliflower tourbillon shells opened the penultimate segment. Then shells of charcoal comets and blue stars followed by a loud barrage of salutes and shells which produced rings of tourbillons. Then shells of white comets and more salutes, repeated and repeated. Next colour star shells with pistils and more salutes. Then blue and white glitter comet shells and a volley of the white slow falling comet shells. A thunderous barrage of titanium salutes was followed by more of the slow fall white comet shells. Then multi-breaks of glitter stars, blue and charcoal comet stars and a large barrage of multi-breaks to bring the segment to a close. The audience hardly had time to roar their approval before the final segment began.
Part 10 to the music Carmina Burana by Orff. This began with loads and loads of multi-break shells of salutes and comets and tourbillons. Then barrage after barrage of titanium salutes followed by slow white falling comets shells and more salutes. The pace was already incredibly and the segment had only just begun. Next shells which made rings of tourbillons and stars and then shells with white rising tails bursting into bright palm-trees. Then shaped-burst shells with double and single rings of stars, enormous shells with pistils, shells with one half in red and the other in blue, more and more mixed colour pistil shells. Then amazing tourbillon and colour shells with multiple concentric rings of tourbillons colour stars and glitter. Shell after shell after shell of these were fired ending up with a really enormous one which filled the sky with expanding rings of tourbillons, glitter and colour. The pace increased and increased with the music and now all the shells were enormous ones of the slow white falling comets in multi-breaks with multi-break after multi-break with so many salutes mixed in that it is impossible to describe. In my notes, I wrote “salutes and multi-breaks gone mad” and that pretty much sums it up. Except that the pace increased and increased way beyond what words can describe with deafening volleys of salutes, titanium salutes, bottom shots (while multi-break after multi-break of the comet shells were being fired). Finally, the climax with the air filled with white comets and the most tremendous barrage of salutes I’ve ever heard. If my ears hadn’t have been ringing so much, I would have heard the audience scream their approval. I was absolutely breathless by this point.
This was a fantastic display. I thought it would be difficult or impossible to top the Austrian entry but this managed to do that. The artistry, choice of music and the flawless ballet of synchronization were astounding. From segments of delicate serenity to dramatic thunder in the sky, everything just worked so well. The amazing pause of a large multibreak – its launch bang in sync with the music, its first break in sync, the seemingly endless pause when you think that the music will finish first and then the dramatic multiple bursting of dozens of shells all exactly on the beat. This was a really excellent display. The finale was beyond description. My prediction for the awards now stands with Italy for the gold, Austria for the silver and France for the bronze – all three of them deserve gold!