15 Years of Light
Summer began two days early in Montréal with the opening of the 15th Benson and Hedges International Pyromusical competition. This non-competing opening show was specially conceived to pay tribute to fifteen years of competition in Montréal. This two section display salutes the countries competing in the first part, followed by an interlude to honour the local Montréal composer, Karl Hugo, closing with a pyromusical orchestration of Ravel’s Bolero.
First Section:
Part 1 England to the music Overture to the Royal Fireworks, Yellow Submarine, The British Grenadiers and Rule Brittania by G. F. Händel, The Beatles, and Traditional composers. This segment opened with lines and fans of serene gold fountains followed by gold comet candles and bombettes. This was followed by yellow comet candles with blue shells above, representing the yellow submarine. Moving quickly to red comet shells with blue and gold comet shells as well. Next, multi-breaks of silver comets and charcoal comets. This segment was brought to a close with lots of multi-break silver comet shells with salutes.
Part 2 Switzerland to the music The Old Chalet and cow-bells, Yodel de la Mi-été, Gentille batelière and Le Coucou by L’Abbe Bovet, Traditional, J. L. Muri and G. Pichard, and Traditional. This segment opened with set pieces in the shape of fir-trees, with flares on the ground and fan-shaped comet candles in front. Then candles of orange tourbillons, shells of tourbillons and then candles with the dense flower-like tourbillons. Then a repeating theme of white comets shells, pink comet candles and shells and candles of the flower tourbillons. This was followed by a barrage of flower toubillons shells. Next, screaming whistle and serpent candles with white comet shells above. This segment was brought to a close with multi-break charcoal comet shells.
Part 3 Spain to the music Torreador Overture (Carmen) and The Marriage of Luis Alfonso by Bizet and Geronimo Gimenez. Loud crackling comet candles and shells of the same above opened this segment. The crackle comet candles and shells increased in intensity with barrages of titanium salutes. Next, gold crossette comet candles and bombettes of gold glitter. Next, multi-break charcoal comet shells followed by larger and larger white comet shells. This was followed by silver crossette comet candles with big silver comet multi-break shells above. Then barrages of white comet shells turning to crackle and finally a thunderous barrage of huge nautic mines of white flitter comets.
Part 4 Canada to the music The Pidgeon on the Gate, Mon pays c’est l’hiver and Tour d’Arcadie by Traditional, Gilles Vigneault and Traditional. This segment opened with blue ball shells turning to white fireflies. This theme increased in scale with more and more fireflies filling the air and giving the impression of snowflakes. Next, ball and comet shells and fronts of pink mines below with the segment coming to a close with volleys of ball shells.
Part 5 Italy to the music Vivo per lei and Caruzzo by V. Zelli, M Mengali, G. Panciere, M. Kunze; and Lucio Dalla. Thick gold comet candles with glittering charcoal comet shells opened this segment. This was repeated and then followed with weeping willow and palm tree shells. Next, a similar theme but with white comet candles in fans with white comet shells above. The brightness and intensity increased and led to the sky being filled with large silver weeping glitter shells. Next, tourbillons with multi-break comet and salute shells above. Then flower tourbillon shells, lots of blue ball shells, multi-breaks of comets and salutes and then blue and gold comet shells, bringing this segment to a close.
Part 6 France to the music Simphonie pour les soupers du Roy, La servante au bon tabac, Douce France and Vivo (“Can Can”) by Delalande, Michel Fromenteau, Charles Trenet and Offenbach. This segment began with pink ball candles turning to crackle, with multi-break shells of the same above. Then twenty-four shaped burst shells in the shape of hearts in pink with more ball and crackle candles below. Next, multi-break white comet shells, then the same in gold and then blue and gold with salute comet candles below. Then blue ball candles, big multi-break white comet and salute shells above and barrages of salute comet candles below. The segment was brought to a close to a barrage of salutes and a front of big mines.
Part 7 USA to the music Stars and Stripes Forever, Summertime and When the Saints go marching in by Erich Kunzel, Geroge Gershwin and Traditional. This began with multi-break shells of small clusters of white stars and shells with groups of comets forming “stripes”. Then more of the same moving into white palm tree shells breaking into crackling comets. These increased in intensity filling the air with crackling comets. Next the lake was filled with serene white nautic fountains to Gershwins musical background. Then the pace increased for the finale of this segment with crackling comet candles and shells above, then white comet and blue ball shells and finally lots of large multi-break charcoal comet shells.
Interlude:
Lets do it to music by Karl Hugo. This interlude segment began with lines of ball candles with white comet shells above. Then blue and gold comet shells followed by shells of crackling comets. Then a line of gold fountains burning with red flames. These were followed by more ball and comet candles with the segment coming to a close with glittering white comet shells.
Final Section:
Bolero by Maurice Ravel played by the Montréal Symphony Orchestra conducted by Charles Dutoit. This final ten minute long segment used fireworks specially designed for this pyromusical orchestration. It began with crossed charcoal comet candles and then mines of salutes. More charcoal comet candles, mines of salutes and then gold glitter candles. Above these, pink ball shells, salute mines below and then crossette candles. Next, lines of blue mines in front of clusters of comet candles. Then mines of red stars turning to salutes followed by silver crossette candles with repeating fronts of mines turning to salutes. Next, thick gold crossed comet candles, followed by the same but brighter with more red salute mines. Then silver comet candles with red ball shells above followed by bombette candles of gold comets with shells of blue and gold above. Next, blue mines with gold comet shells above, mines of salutes and then crackling candles. Above these, comet shells and crossette candles below with fronts of salute mines. Then some beautiful gold firefly shells followed by the same in bombettes and also in crossettes. A line of tourbillon candles, shells of tourbillons and salutes, increasing in intensity. As the final two minutes approached, I stopped taking notes as the intensity and pace increased and increased with barrages of multi-break comet shells, thunderous volleys of salutes, then a dramatic dazzling silver mine front with huge volleys of multi-break comet and salute shells above. The pace continued to increase with shells in flower shapes, multi-break silver spider shells, thunderous volleys of titanium salutes and salutes of all sorts until the deafening climax was reached with the air filled with dazzling white comets and huge titanium salutes.
This was a great beginning to what promises to be an excellent year’s competition. All of the participants this time are previous winners of either Jupiter or other pyrotechnic awards.