As Time Goes By
Heavy humidity and rain threatened to spoil the show but the cloud base remained high enough not to lose any shells. My notes were a little difficult to read though because of the rain so this report may not exactly track the 16 part display, the theme of which was the passage of time from pre-history to the future. All of the fireworks were supplied by A. Caballer SA of Spain, the conception, choreography and production by Fiatlux.
Part 1 Creation of the World to the music Innocence by J. Taverner. The display began with front after front of blue candles, with blue and gold comet shells above. Then a barrage of large titanium salutes as the Mirage water projection screen came to life. Above this, white ball candles and shells and then another large barrage of powerful titanium salutes.
Part 2 Prehistory to the music The Heat by Peter Gabriel. This began with several large fireballs producing mushroom clouds on the centre podium. Then more of the blue and gold comet shells, including a couple which flower-potted. Next, crackling comet and whistle candles, then barrages of salutes and whistling tourbillons. Next, large shells of orange stars, then shells of fireflies rapidly followed by barrages of titanium salutes and blue shells. The segment was brought to a close with barrages of orange shells and more fireflies ending with a really huge colour shell.
Part 3 Ancient Egypt to the music Passion by Peter Gabriel. This began with serene crossed glitter comet candles, followed by crossette comets breaking into fireflies with shells of the same with glitter rising tails. Next, the lake burst into bright strobe-pots whilst lasers played around its edge.
Part 4 Antiquity to the music Grand Canyon by J.N. Haword. Following seemlessly from the previous segment, firefly and tourbillon shells with fronts of orange and glitter and blue and glitter mines. Then mines of blue stars and white glitter followed by fan-shapef sheaves of rockets. After these, glitter crossettes followed by more sheaves of rockets. Then many barrages of colour star shells, some with comets mixed in. Next, screaming tourbillons and glitter comet candles and a line of fountains lighting up. Above these, large glitter comet shells ending with a massive pistil shell.
Part 5 Middle Ages to music by Dead can Dance. This began with shells of blue stars turning to white, followed by palm-tree shells. Then a really large glitter comet shell with rising tail followed by more of the gorgeous blue and charcoal comet shells. Next, barrages of glitter mines and then volleys of salutes with more mines of glitter and salutes. The segment ended with a barrage of loud titanium salutes.
Part 6 Renaissance to music by Monteverdi and Delalande. Charcoal comet canldes opened this portion of the display with horizontal fountain wheels on the centre podium which turned bright white. Above these, white comet shells and mines. Then another line of titanium fountains with blue and charcoal comet shells above (including more flower-pots). Then shells of aqua and comets, large colour shells with pistils and multi-break crossette comet shells. Several fountains in the shape of crosses lit up with glittering sparks and above this a barrage of shaped-burst shells with single and double rings.
Part 7 Industrialization to the music 7th Symphony by Beethoven. This began with fan shaped glitter comet candles and crossettes with blue bombettes above his. Then some palm-tree shells followed by white fan-shaped glitter candles (at which point the music died for a few seconds). Then white ball candles with the stars going really high with shells of the same above and finally a large palm-tree shell.
Part 8 Modernism to the music Crumb from the film of the same name. Mines of blue stars and white glitter and salutes opened this segment followed by shells of a dazzling orange. Then mines of bright orange stars which turned into salutes. Above this, large multi-break shells of blue and gold comets, and flights of rockets bursting to small clusters of bright stars. The segment ended with a barrage of colour shells and shells of crackling salutes.
Part 9 Charleston to the music Charleston by Spike Jones. This began with many shells of rings and a flight of rockets which seemed to burst very low. Then more ring shells and more feeble rockets. Above this, large colour shells and then shells of slow falling white comets and titanium salutes, the segment ending with a massive comet shell.
Part 10 Jolly Years to the music Caberet from the musical of the same name. Crackling comets, salutes and candles firing into the lake opened this segment. Then fronts of salutes candles and glitter mines. This theme was repeated until the segment ended with shells of blue and gold.
Part 11 War to the music Entrée des Allemands à Paris from the film Les uns et les autres. True to the theme of this segement, barrages of crazy tourbillons and thunderous titanium salutes opened this segment. Then it was difficult to see because of the rain and smoke but there were mines or candles of tourbillons and whizzers. Above this, large shells bursting into lots of writhing tourbillons then a large volley of multi-break shells of blue stars and tourbillons. Next a more serene part with shells of blue stars and fireflies. Then shells of colour stars and bright white comets fired from the centre podium. Above this, shells of white, then fan shaped glitter candles and candles of really fat white comets and shells of blue stars changing to white. The segment ended with a barrage of titanium salutes. All hell broke loose in the lake now with huge mines bursting violently into colour stars and comets. Then mines of glitter and screaming whistles. A barrage of large white comets from the centre, then screaming tourbillons volley after volley of salutes, comets and high-pitched whistles with barrages of salutes following timed really well to the drums of the music. Then segment came to a close with multi-break glitter shells, clusters of small falling stars and a barrage of salutes.
Part 12 After War to the music Crazy Arms by the Andrews Sisters. This began more serenely with star and glitter candles with blue and comet shells above. Then a barrage of glitter mines and too much smoke to see for a while. It looked like lots of mines and shells with pistils. Then smoke cleared a bit as the segment ended with shells of colour and crackle.
Part 13 Swinging Sixties to the music I only have eyes for you by The Flamingos and She Loves You by The Beatles. Gold glitter candles opened with crossettes and bombettes above. Then glitter mines and palm-tree shells. More large colour mines and crossette candles, then a grove of palm trees. Next, shells with gold rising tails bursting to white slow falling comets and some firefly shells, followed by a really big palm tree. Next (to the Beatles), bombettes in orange and glitter, with colour comet shells above. Then more mins and a barrage of salutes and shells of blue and charcoal comets.
Part 14 The Seventies to the music Lindberg by Robert Charlebois. This opened with flights of rockets and a line of fountain wheels. Then shells of colour-changing stars, screaming tourbillons and rising tail comet shells. Then screaming mines, tourbillon mines and some small girandolas which wobbled hissing into the sky. Next, a barrage of salutes, crossed glitter mines and white shells. Then, bright yellow mines and some really loud titanium salutes. This was repeated again and again, then shells of orange, mines of orange and salutes and more rising tail comet shells. Then more barrages of salutes, rings of salutes, comet shells changing to colour stars, multi-breaks and finally a huge barrage of titanium salutes.
Part 15 Change to the music In the Flesh by Pink Floyd and Woman in Chains by Tears for Fears. Crossette charcoal comets and palm tree shells followed by glitter candles in gold opened this segment. Then shells of purple stars, more palm tree shells and candles of blue stars going really high. Next, shells of gold glitter turning into blue stars. Then charcoal and white ball candles, with huge multi-break start-cluster shells above.
Part 16 Today to the music Little Wonder by David Bowie. Ring-shaped bursts and rising tail shells opened the finale. Then double rings and large charcoal comets followed by weeping willow shells and barrages of salutes. Then big multi-breaks of small white comets, blue stars, go-getters and cluster-stars. The pace increased, volley after volley of really big colour and pistil shells, huge white crossette comet candle fronts from the ground. Then white and glitter mines, more and more white comet shells another huge front of white crossette candles, mines of titanium salutes. Finally, with the air filled with smoke, hundreds of really big salutes created the impression of a terrible thunderstorm in which the lightning is hidden in the clouds.
This was a great display. A lot of great choreography and excellent use of the Mirage facilites. A pity that the weather created so much smoke which blocked out parts of the display and a few low breaks too. Otherwise, definitely a contender for the bronze Jupiter or special Jupiter. My order still remains Italy – Gold, Austria – Silver, France/Canada – Bronze.