Raptures (Rhapsodies and Overtures)
Heavy humidity, no wind and ominous looking clouds threatened to spoil the final entrant in this year’s competition. Luckily, with this being the 130th display since the competition started in 1985, the weather gods smiled, the rain clouds disappeared and a light breeze came up. Fired using the Pyrodigital system, this complex ten-part display featured more than fifty 12″ shells and used over 2000 firing cues. There were many specially made Japanese shells also.
Part 1 to the music Overture from William Tell by Rossini. The display opened with bright comets in a line, glitter mines and two really large shells above. Then crossed ball candles, with glitter comet shells above, then larger silver comet shells and more glitter mines. Next, shells of fireflies with single-shot balls moving from left to right and right to left in perfect note-synchrony. Above these, large comet shells, then a fan of comet candles in the centre below, then more firefly shells above. Next, silver comet shells, glitter mines below, more silver comet shells above, another fan of comets from the centre, more firefly shells above, the segment coming to a dramatic close with glitter mines, a barrage of titanium salutes and two huge shells above.
Part 2 to the music Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 by Liszt. This segment opened with a repeating theme of crackling comet candles with shells of slow falling clusters of small red stars above. Then shells of blue-headed gold comets, trailing all the way to the ground. These were followed by blue bombettes with gold trails, with more of the slow falling red cluster shells above. The theme repeated again with blue bombettes, crackling comet candles and slow fall cluster shells in tangerine above. Next, shells of comets turning to balls, with colour pistils, again and again. Then red single-shot balls moving from left to right followed by blue moving right to left in note-synchrony with shells of applause-sounding crackle above followed by shells of comets with applause-crackle pistils, then comet pistils with applause-crackle outer petals. Next, blue shells with silver pistils followed by shaped-burst shells of five-pointed stars in red, then the same in blue, followed by more of the crackling comet shells, crackling pistil shells with comets. Below this, angled comet candles firing left and right, followed by the slow falling cluster shells above, with the stars reaching all the way to the ground. A return to the applause-like crackling shell theme, with the segment coming to a close with large mines, a barrage of titanium salutes and some huge shells above.
Part 3 to the music Overture from The Magic Flute by Mozart. Shells launched just before the music started exploded exactly on cue into balls and comets. Below these, silver glitter candles with ball and comet shells above in tangerine and purple. Glitter comets firing left then right were followed with more large ball and comet shells above and followed by shells of pink balls turning to fireflies. Then more large tangerine and purple shells, more of the pink shells followed by silver bombettes below. Shells of glittery falling clusters were followed by large colour and comet shells and more bombettes in silver glitter. Note-synchronized mines were followed by large glitter comet and purple ball shells, shells of purple and tangerine pistils, crossed comet candles below, then segment coming to a close with large ball and comet shells and titanium salutes.
Part 4 to the music Roman Carnival by Berlioz. Single comets firing from the left and right crossing in the middle opened up followed by a line of strobe pots in front of the lake. Then pairs of comets firing left and right with a line of spinning wheels in gold glitter, with gold glitter bombettes above. Fans of gold comets from the centre with the same in candles. These were followed by brighter ball-headed gold comet candles with the same in shells above, turning to gold twinkling stars falling to the ground. Then shells of electric comets making a crackling noise, with mines of the same below. Then more crackling electric comet shells with the falling twinkling stars. The segment was brought to a close with mines of fireflies, salutes and two really huge shells.
Part 5 to the music España (Spanish Rhapsody) by Chabrier. This began with a fan of silver fountains in the centre. Silver comets firing from the left and right opened up with blue note-synchronized mines and bombettes. Above these, large shells of blue and silver balls, then more note-synchronized blue mines. Shells of slow falling blue star clusters were followed by a repeating theme of left and right firing comet candles, blue note-synchronized mines and blue bombettes. Following this theme, large silver weeping willow shells, with stars trailing to the ground. Then larger ones with the comets turning to blue at the ends. Back to the repeating theme, again followed by the silver weeping willows. Next, glittering blue mines, crossette ball candles and shells of blue stars and silver comets above. The segment was brought to a close with fans of comets, a barrage of salutes and huge shells of blue balls with silver pistils.
Part 6 to the music Overture from Die Fledermaus by Strauss. This segment opened with some remarkable shells. Silver balls appeared and then broke like crossettes, these spread out in the sky and then broke again into clusters of umbrella-shaped falling silver comets. Below these, fans of red ball candles, with gold comets as well. Then shells of rings above followed by multi-break ball shells, filling the sky. More ring shells, some with comet pistils followed by really bright orange comet candles. More of the balls-to-crossettes-to-silver comet shells, with blue bombettes and glitter mines firing left and right. Silver rising tail shells bursting to a six-pointer cluster of comets (like a starfish) were repeated and interspersed with shells of balls and comets. Below these, fat comet candles, more rising tail to starfish shells followed by note-synchronized mines firing left then right. The segment was brought to a close with a large mine front with huge shells of charcoal comets turning to silver above, with a barrage of titanium salutes.
Part 7 to the music Swedish Rhapsody No1 by Alfven. A line of gold glitter candles in the front with a line of higher blue ball candles below were followed by shells of gold comets and blue balls. Then shells with a ring of blue balls and gold comets in a bow-tie shape followed by shells of purple headed electric gold comets. These were followed by barrage after barrage of weeping willow shells, with fans of gold glitter in the centre afterwards. Then shells of tight fine-cometted weeping willows in pale gold, with fans of gold glitter comets in the centre. More barrages of weeping willow shells, with the stars reaching to the ground were followed by fans of blue balls. Then more purple-headed electric gold comet shells followed by gold glitter comet shells and candles. Shells of glitter and blue then turning to fireflies were followed by large weeping willow shells with pistils and the stars turning to blue, with a front of big mines and salutes bringing the segment to a close.
Part 8 to the music Overture from Carmen by Bizet. This segment opened with fronts of bright red glitter mines, with multi-break silver spider shells above. This theme was repeated, then multi-break red ball shells, then more multi-break silver spiders. Shells of fireflies followed by salmon pink comet candles with electric comet bombettes above. More glitter mines and multi-break spider shells, multi-break red ball shells and multi-break firefly shells. Next, glitter comets and pastel balls, then more multi-breaks in salmon pink balls. Mine fronts, more multi-break spider shells, multi-break ball shells and a final barrage of huge multi-break spiders and salutes brought the segment to a close.
Part 9 to the music Roumanian Rhapsody No1 by Enescu. A line of fountain pairs with pastel ball candles behind and shells of slow falling clusters of lime-green stars above were followed by mines of salute-terminated tourbillons with double-petal flower tourbillon shells above. Then shells of starfish clusters of comets followed by more tourbillon mines and double-petal flower tourbillon shells above. More mines of tourbillons with multi-colour pistil shells above in pastels. These were followed by more of the double-petal flower tourbillon shells. Candles of hissing tourbillons were followed by shells of clusters of slow falling green stars with some go-getters in as well. Then huge shells with pistils and comets, shells of fireflies followed by silver comet candles below. Two huge shells of starfish clusters and pistils followed by more of the slow falling green clusters and go-getters. Huge double-petal flower tourbillon shells were followed by a line of silver wheels, with the centre wheel in gold glitter. Above these, slow falling green clusters, then a barrage of the huge double-petal flower tourbillon shells and titanium salutes, bringing the segment to a close.
Part 10 to the music 1812 Overture by Tchaïkovsy. A line of strobes with note-synchronized comets firing from left to right then right to left opened this final segment. Shells in pastel balls above, with double comet blasts left on right representing canon fire. Then left and right firing glitter mines. As the music moved to the slower bell section, barrage after barrage of firefly shells filled the sky, with the stars falling as the musical scales descended. These were followed by a segment with barrage after barrage of gold weeping willow shells, with the stars reaching to the ground. As the pace of the music increased, the weeping willows were replaced with large pistil shells with mines firing below and comets going left and right. The pace increased as the shells moved from 5″ colour pistils, to 6″, as the pace increased further and further. Then the sky was filled with enormous colour pistil breaks from 8″ shells, with mines below. As the music moved to its climax, a dazzling front of silver comets, with a line of massive multi-break thunderous salute shells, all exploding simultaneously and bringing the display to a dramatic end, as the audience shouted and whistled in delight.
This was a fantastic display. The synchronization and pyroeography were absolutely flawless. The rhythm and pace of the display rose and fell, building excitement and release time after time. The finale was excellent and its size was correctly proportioned with the rest of the display. Because the display was so good, I’m going to be critical. The note-synchronization was excellent but some of the effects used to show this didn’t show it too well. The single-shot stars moving left to right were fired so fast and burned so long that the fact they were in sync was lost. Mines fired every other note would have been more effective. Whilst the range of shells used was great, with some really unique ones, there was less range of material used than in some other shows. No nautic mines, no rockets and no girandolas. These criticisms should be taken in context though – this was a Jupiter winning display and was a truly beautiful piece of pyromusical art.