Full Speed Toward Fantasy
Several thunderstorm cells threatened to spoil an otherwise perfect summer day but the skies cleared out in time for a brilliant thirteen part display from the largest pyrotechnics company in Europe. The theme chosen was music from fantasy films and all of the material was specially chosen from the range of over 3500 products manufactured by Étienne Lacroix and the recently integrated Ruggieri (the world’s oldest pyrotechnics company).
Part 1 to the music from Star Wars by J. Williams. This segment opened with a large fan of rockets, bursting to gold glitter followed by weeping willow shells. Then several fronts of silver glitter mines which turned to fireflies. These were followed by crossette candles in blue and gold, then a line of brilliant blue mines, then red, leading to crossed glitter comet candles. Behind these, shells with silver rising tails bursting to blue stars, then another line of big blue mines, with red star shells above. Gold glitter crossette candles with large blue and red star shells above were followed by multi-break silver comet shells and finally shells with very widely spread large glitter comets.
Part 2 to the music from Raiders of the Lost Arc by J. Williams. A line of fountains and charcoal crossette candles opened this segment. Then a front of charcoal glitter mines followed by mines of blue and gold crossette comets. Next, long charcoal comet candles with charcoal crossette comet shells above and then multi-breaks in blue followed by weeping willow shells. Next, even larger weeping willow shells with rising tails and comets turning to green at the end of their burn. These were repeated and then were followed by even larger glitter willow shells with blue mines and gold crossettes below. Finally this segment was brought to a close with a barrage of salutes and a front of flash-pots on the ground.
Part 3 to the music from Terminator by B. Fiedel. This segment began with a line of bright red flares and white strobe pots. Then a line of fireballs, then another. Next, several huge fires with lots of black smoke errupted, looking like some sort of oil refinery disaster. Then more huge balls of black smokey fire, eerily lit by the red flares. In front of the fiery inferno scene, white ball candles and then another line of smokey black fireballs went up followed by a front of big silver glitter mines turning to fireflies. Next, a line of silver fountains with a red base flame with a front of mines in glitter and blue in front. Then pale burnished gold comet candles with a sequence of small pale gold mines in front, repeated with a larger sequence of mines. Next, another sequenced line of mines with double ringed flower tourbillon shells above. Another front of mines and more of the flower tourbillon shells above. Next a barrage of titanium salutes and red glitter star shells, another salute barrage with gold go-getter shells followed by a fan of rockets bursting to gold glitter and finally a silver spider multi-break shell.
Part 4 to the music from Jurassic Park by J. Williams. This began with green mines fired at an angle to the left and right followed by a large front of green mines. Then some very bright loudly hissing silver sprays and white ball candles. Next, glitter candles in a fan shape with the glitter on the verge of being fireflies. Next, white crossetted candles, green mines and bright orange bombettes and shells. Then rising tail shells bursting to flower tourbillons and some big orange and pale yellow shells. Next, a big fan of rockets and willow shells with white twinkling pistils ending up as large weeping willows.
Part 5 to the music from Beetlejuice by D. Elfman. Loudly hissing fountains, screaming whistle candles, a front of flash-pots and a line of strobes opened this segment. Then groups of four rockets with a line of candles firing insanely fastly spinning tourbillons and whizzers. Another line of strobe pots and then a flight of screaming whistle rockets bursting to glitter. Then the most amazing candles firing charcoal comets bursting in crazy crossettes so quickly it sounded like loud applause; then different charcoal comets giving a kind of farting noise followed by the most insane charcoal crossettes breaking into dozens of tiny comets whizzing crazily and looking a bit like bees. Next, large multi-breaks in charcoal comets surrounded by star rings and shaped-burst shells bursting to double colour-changing bows with twinkling and crackling centres and finally huge charcoal comet shells with bright twinkling pistils.
Part 6 to the music from Back to the Future by A. Silvestri. Four girandolas rose majestically into the air followed by candles of salute terminated tourbillons. Next, a flight of rockets bursting to fast fireflies which turned to crackle. Then a line of very high flying comet candles with lots of firefly shells above. This was repeated several times and then six girandolas rose into the air followed by shells of fast moving serpent-like tourbillons. This segment was brought to a close with a huge multi-break in gold glitter comets.
Part 7 to the music from Blade Runner by Vangelis. This began with very fast repeating white ball candles with several fronts of very big blue mines. Then candles of glitter crossette comets, more fronts of mines and candles of twinkling comets. Next, a front of white mines and then candles of pale gold comets angled to the side. Above these, many colour shells in beautiful primary colours. Then a front of dazzling orange mines following by loudly hissing white mines with a grove of palm-tree shells behind. Then more palm-trees with brighter comets, a front of blue mines, more palm-trees and finally mines with remarkable double-breaking bombette comets.
Part 8 to the music from Willow by J. Williams. This began with large white fountains with a front of mines. Above these, shells in gold comets with blue stars, then shells with large comets forming a wide starfish shape. Next, shells of gold twinkling comets with a front of blue mines below. This was repeated and followed by shells of colour changing stars with really pure colours such as green to red then blue and charcoal comets. The segement was brought to a close with large charcoal comet shells with twinkling pistils.
Part 9 to the music from Frankenstein by O. Doyle. Bright white fountains with shells of colour stars turning to fireflies above opened this segment. This was followed by a line of fireballs and then a front of white crossette comet mines followed by the same in candles. Above these, bombettes in green and some dazzlingly bright comet candles below. Next, mines of wiggling serpents, shells of green-to-red stars above followed by white comet shells. Next, shells of charcoal comets turning to fireflies and flower tourbillon shells followed by shells of blue, gold and green crossettes. The segment was brought to a close with large shells of flower tourbillons and twinking comets.
Part 10 to the music from The Exorcist by M. Oldfield. Nautic flares which turned to strobes were fired into the lake with firefly shells above. Then more of the dazzling comet candles with front after front of twinkle to firefly mines. Above these, shells of bright fast moving go-getters and tourbillons. The segment was brought to a close with very large shells of glitter comets.
Part 11 to the music from Conan by B. Poledouris. This began with very fast charcoal crossette candles, so loud and fast that it sounded like a salute barrage. After the noise had subsided, a line of very serene wide charcoal comet candles was fired with groves of palm-shells behind. These got larger and larger, followed by white star shells, barrages of titanium salutes and finally large colour shells and multi-break comet shells.
Part 12 to the music from Abyss by A. Silvestri. This began with nautic fountains with white ball candles behind. Then shells in red and blue with tourbillons followed by candles and shells in a dazzling array of primary and pastel colours. The shells got larger and larger and were followed by shells of glitter comets. Then a huge flight of rockets bursting with soft-report bright flash balls followed by three huge weeping willow shells.
Part 13 to the music from Waterworld by J. N. Howard. This final segment began with ball candles and crackling crossette comets with shells of colour balls and comets above and then shells of twinkling colour and glitter stars. Next, shells of bright orange followed by titanium salutes. Then shells bursting into a crackling applause sort of noise, huge white mines and white comet shells. The pace kept increasing with huge shells of double petalled flower tourbillons, glitter comets, multi-break colour shells. Larger and larger colour shells with dazzlingly brilliant colours, mine fronts, multi-break shells breaking into sort of bunches of flowers. The sky was completely filled with huge shells and then finally for the closing seconds of the finale, a thunderous barrage of salute terminated serpent candles, shells and bombettes. The crowd shouted their approval.
This was a great display. There were some very unusal effects, from the smokey fireballs to the amazing charcoal bee-like crossettes. The depth and range of colours used was superb and the synchronization to the music was pretty much flawless throughout, save for a couple of shells. Whilst the finale wasn’t as dramatic as the Italian display, the overall artistry and choice of material was excellent. This must be a contender for a Jupiter this year.