One Step – Moon Dream
Designed by Antonio Parente; FireMaster firing with 163 24-cues modules and ~3900 cues
Returning for their second presentation in Montreal ( last competing in 2003) Parente Fireworks Group, with the assisstence of the Quebec company Apogée (under the direction of Alain Carbonneau), were blessed with perfect weather conditions with clear skies featuring a crescent moon in the centre of the display area, fitting exactly with their theme.
The display begin with very wide shell firings of white strobes, with mines of the same beneath. Some of the shells burst into crescent shapes, emphasizing the theme very well.
This theme of essentially a wide fan of shells was used quite a lot throughout the display together with a similar firing pattern of comets and mines across ramp 3. The ramp 5 pontoons formed an inverted V (contrary to my interview report) and added an extra dimension as the platforms also contained flashpots, gerbs as well as fans of one-shots.
In general, there was a wide variety of rhythm and pace and this allowed Parente’s high-quality products to be seen clearly, especially as the air was so clear, emphasizing the bright colours. Many shells were bi-colour and there were interesting effects shells with “ghost effects” ending in circles of crackle or just quadrants changing colour in sequence. Parente’s studata shells were well represented too.
Synchronization was good, especially in the segments that used the dazzling photoflash effects, but some of the tableaux were rather simplistic in design and were not so well connected with the music. The firing patterns were repetitive and the lack of nautical effects was disappointing (compared to the dramatic ones in their 2003 display) though this was made up for, to some extent, by the shape of ramp 5.
At some points during the display, I felt there was too little activity – a few times there were just a couple of shells and a fan of three stars, leaving me feeling that there was just not enough oomph in the display, with even the exciting parts not rising to quite the level I would have hoped. The finale resolved this to some extent, but was rather short, leaving a bit of an anti-climatic feeling (as expectations are always high for Italian finales). All said, it was a very well done display but I suspect will not reach the level of some of the very strong contenders still waiting to perform.
