The Empire of Fire
A perfect summer evening was the setting for a complex display from the Chinese team, choreographed by the award winning Alberto Navarro, telling the story of a legendary Chinese emperor. With many specially constructed shells, never seen before in Montréal and also many cakes, the display promised to be very special. However, bad weather during the display set-up and some apparent technical difficulties exacted their toll and unfortunately removed some of the majic from the twelve part show.
Presentation with the music from Seven Years in Tibet by John Williams. The display opened to the narration below with a cake of gold charcoal comets splitting into cones of smaller comets.
“The Empire of Fire…
This is the story of a legendary emperor
whom with his wisdom and sacrifice made of China
an open country.He was loved by his people,
and lived with his beloved wife in the Palace of Celesial Harmony
with his court of discoverers,inventors,and philosophers.”
Act 1 “The People and the Emperor” to the music from The King and I by Rogers and Hammerstein. Mines of crossette ball stars in red and blue with shells of the same above turning to slow falling clusters of stars opened this section. Then shells of go-getters ball stars turning to crackle and fireflies above with cakes of crazy salute-terminated tourbillons below bursting to small blue stars below. Next, large white white shells turning to slow falling small white stars. Then there was a rather long pause as the first of several technical difficulties became apparent. The show then continued with shells of go-getters and cakes of very fast pastel coloured balls below, then more go-getter shells, fronts of mines and some nice shells of clusters of weeping-willow glitter fronds.
Act 2 “The City of Celestial Harmony” to the music In Re Don Giovanni by Michael Nyman. Shells of purple with tourbillons turning to crackle and opening bunches of willow-frond branches were followed by go-getters and tourbillons. Then shells opening into multiple bunches of stars with cakes of tourbillons below and the same in shells. Next, rising-tail shells and shells of bright coloured go-getters with cakes of crazy tourbillons below. Then shells with really excellent bright blues, more tourbillon cake craziness with shells of star bunches above and also shells of tourbillons. More cakes of tourbillons and mines of ball stars and go-getters with shells of star bunches and white comets above and finally a front of large mines.
Act 3 “The Elegant Man of Talents” to the music The Elegant Man of Talents a Chinese popular song. This opened with ball star cakes turning to bombettes with tourbillons and bee-like small charcoal go-getters. Above these, huge shells of stars and comets and more of the charcoal go-getter bombettes. Next, rising-tail shells of comets turning to slow falling clusters of stars and cakes of blue stars, whistles and tourbillons below and then more of the small charcoal go-getters. This segment then lead seamlessly into
Act 4 “The Empress Court” to the music The Coquette Teases the Doyen a Chinese Folk song. This continued with shells of go-getters and shells of bright ball stars with cakes cakes of bombettes containing more of the charcoal go-getters with large shells of small blue stars above. Next, large pistil shells and a huge volley of really large pistil shells and finally a barrage of white comet and twinkling star shells.
“From the shadowy outer realms of the Kingdom,
tribes of menacing nomads attacked the Palace.
Aided by conspirators and traitors inside the court
they assasinated the Emperor.”
Act 5 “Conspiracy in the Palace” to the music The Last Emperor by Riuichi Sakamoto. The above narration was accompanied by a line of flares with crossed candles of blue and red stars. Then huge shells of sparse comets and lots of small stars turning to crossettes followed by really large shells in blue and white turning to fireflies. Then shells of bunches of stars turning to glitter fronds and blue stars.
Act 6 “Revolt” to the music mixMiss Saigon by Cameron Macintosh, A Duel from the film Ashes of Time and In a Chinese Temple Garden by Albert Ketelby. This section opened with a line of strobe-pots with cakes of salute-terminated tourbillons and crackling balls and more salutes. Then lines of crackling white comets with firefly shells above. Next, huge volleys of amazing shells of crackling glitter comets and crossettes ending up with really loud crackling which sounded like very loud applause. Then white comets in crossettes also turning to very loud applause-like crackling. Flights of screaming whistles with willow and firefly shells above and the small charcoal go-getters below were followed by more firefly shells. Next, barrages of crackling colour stars with crazy go-getters whizzing across the sky were repeated several times and followed by shells of slow fall clusters of stars and brilliant blue shells. Shells of blue go-getters and more slow fall cluster shells were followed by barrages of go-getter shells and more of the really loud applause-like crackle. Shells with large comets in silver and then silver comets turning to blue were followed by huge willow shells turning to white slow falling stars, bringing this segment to a close.
“Surmounting her grief and solitude
the Emperess called together her nobles and young warriors
to take up their new weapons, put on their armor of gold and hats of mink
and combat the nomads beyond the outer borders of the Kingdom.
To the farewells of their loved ones, the palace was left empty.”
Act 7 “The lonely Concubine” to the music The Dream of the Red Mannsion by The Guo Brothers. The above narration was overlaid with white go-getter cakes and a kind of tourbillon which appeared to be a bright ball spitting sparks out of it. Then barrages of shells of bunches of stars which turned glittery willow fronds. These were repeated and followed by shells of really beautiful blue stars and tourbillons. Next, shells of charcoal glitter comets turning to hanging fronds in the air with go-getter bombettes of charcoal below. These were followed by barrage after barrage of willow shells, then huge shells with small stars and sparse silver comets and multi-breaks of silver comets criss-crossing the sky.
Act 8 “Seasons of Change” to the music Concerto in G minor,Summer by Vivaldi. This opened with go-getters and repeated barrages of really bright comets which turned to balles with more go-getters. Then shells of crossette balls and sequenced lines of bright ball headed comets in various colours with barrage after barrage of crossette ball shells above. Then a front of dazzling ball headed comets and more barrages of crossette balls and go-getters above. Next, shells of tourbillons and fireflies and shells of small stars and sparse comets. Very loud barrages of ball crossettes shells and bombettes of go-getters brought this segement to a close.
Act 9 “The March of the New Army” to the music A Desperate Battle by Once upon a time in China. Titanium salutes and shells of slow falling bunches of stars were followed by enormous shells of colour-changing stars and then shells of fireflies. Then huge pistil shells and shells of glitter fronds and fireflies were followed by twelve-inch thrice-colour-changing shells which filled the sky. Barrages of titanium salutes and salute terminated tourbillon cakes were followed by shells with rings of titanium salutes and more multi-colour changing shells. More of the thrice-colour changing shells were followed by glitter frond shells filling the sky and bringing this section to a close.
Act 10 “The Empty Palace” to the music Illusion soundtrack to the film Ashes of Time. The penultimate section opened with crackling comet shells with fans of bright comets below. Then shells of tourbillons and go-getters, shaped-burst shells with rings and several perfect five-pointed star-shapes. Next, crackling bombettes of blue with shells of blue clusters above and more shaped-burst shells with fireflies. Then shells of dazzling white comets and shells which made starfish kinds of shapes with multiplie comets and balls. Next shells with rising tails bursting to glitter fronds and blue crackle followed by clusters of blue and red stars. Shells of white balls and white comet shells turning to red and then the same turning to blue brought this section to a close.
“The new imperial army was victorious at battle
avenging the death of the wise Emperor and
making his dream come true. The frontiers of China were finally
opened for centuries to the voyagers and merchants of the world…”
Act 11 “The Great Battle. FINALE” to the music Festive Overture by Dimitri Shostakovitch. The above narration opened the final section with fan comets and huge white comet shells above. Then shells of crossette balls with mine and tourbillon fronts below. Next, charcoal crossettes and very large barrages of shells of balls and crackle. The pace increased and increased with enormous shells of blue stars, white comets and crackle and multi-colour changing shells. More and more shells of every type, barrages of salutes and cakes below with salute terminated tourbillons. Things appeared to be significantly out of synchronization as the music finished with a good 30 seconds of the display left. The sky was filled with huge bursts of every type and some really beautiful shells with lots of small bunches of different coloured stars in dazzling colours. Deafening barrages of titanium salutes and more huge shells brought the display to a dramatic end.
This was a very complex display and my notes probably only cover about 50% of the material presented. At one point, comets were fired over and into the lake but I’m not sure which section this happened. Many of the shells were difficult to describe because of the multi-effect complexity. The story-telling aspect of the display was excellent and it is truly a shame that the technical difficulties caused several periods of darkness and lead to the synchronization being so far out at the end of the show. I’m sure this would have been Gold Jupiter material if everything had worked correctly. However, this was still a very enjoyable display in this very tight competition.