Je me devais de mettre mes commentaires à mon arrivée à la maison, suite à ce feu magnifique donné ce soir par l'Argentine. Quel beau spectacle! Des couleurs vives et variées, de l'action (sauf à un certain moment autour de 20 minutes, où c'était quelque peu répétitif), une trame musicale différente et assez hispanique. En plus, nous avons eu droit à deux moments tout en douceur en milieu de spectacle pour couper sur l'intensité et ensuite juste avant la finale, où les feux dorés retombaient tout doucement pour ensuite, donner place à cette finale bien latine. Enfin, nous avons eu droit à une vraie finale, avec une intensité sans cesse en progression qui fait transformer l'adrénaline en euphorie! Oui, c'était un peu court, mais des finales intenses comme celle-ci, sont TOUJOURS trop courtes!

Maintenant, c'est très facile pour moi de choisir ma firme préférée à ce jour pour la compétition 2009:

1-Argentine (haut la main)
2-Espagne
3-Australie
4-Chine
5-Angleterre

Bon dimanche à tous! ;-)

Pierre

What a show! The audience where I was sitting got rained on by flaming debris - but, this being Montreal, no-one really minds. Brilliant shells, especially the studatas and farfalles (thanks Benito!) and some really special special effects.

The video is uploading and should be completed by 01:45 EST.

More soon!

Paul.

Hi guys,

The winds really surprised me at 10:00 p.m. Though the speeds were in the anticipated range, the direction was clearly Westerly during the 10:00 p.m period, and remained that way only up until about 10:55, where they resumed the WSW direction. Consequently, this blew the smoke straight towards much of the audience at La Ronde, particularly the central part of the seating area (still some rightward motion, however). It's unlucky because the winds at both 8 and 9 p.m followed through accordingly in being WSW, and this was indicative with the smoke associated with the set of fireworks fired at 9:45 p.m blowing towards the right end of the seating area at the time, as expected. The winds really had a mind of their own at about 10 p.m, that's for sure! However, the average wind direction for the evening was in fact WSW. Other than the wind, the skies cleared up quite nicely during the latter part of the evening as I thought they would with just a few clouds. We had some sprinkles around 8:00 p.m. as well as some scattered showers in parts of Laval, the East End and North of Laval, but most precip waned by the time 9 p.m hit. Thundershowers were reported just North of Montreal yesterday afternoon. Temperature reading was at 18 C at 10 p.m and humidity levels dropped down to moderate, as mentioned. The winds, too, also made things feel a little cooler. Despite the unfavorable wind direction at the time, I'm sure that they were strong enough to clear the smoke quickly for reasonable viewing, though the smoke may have been a problem for many people due to frequently inhaling it.

Weather aside, this was most certainly one of the more active and loud displays so far this year (always a plus for me). I honestly wasn't expecting so many shell of shells and multibreakers to appear in this display - truly fascinating! The color mix was intense and the farfalles were the best so far this season (though they became a little repetitive), especially with their nice variety of colored stars. Quite a nice variation of effects, too, and I thought the variety of nautical shells were quite stunning. The music selection was appropriate (some adding more vitality to the display than others), but a lot of the tracks sounded identical in rhythm, which made it a little difficult to detect those critical transitional points or the key parts of the display. The synchronization was good, but more pronounced in the second half of the show than the first. I felt that at about 4-5 minutes into the display, it became a little silent for much too long of a time (not sure if that was related to technical problems) - some additional effects could have been added in to support that segment for that respective soundtrack to represent its serenity. There were a couple of other points of brief periods of silence as well. Some nice sequencing seen near low level, especially when involved with those interesting special effects.

The shells were loud and many were massive, but I felt that the firing patterns became a little redundant at times and I found it difficult to pinpoint the various thematic components that were being represented through the fireworks - I felt it more in the music somehow. The theme wasn't too original, but it was certainly a traditional display and really had a different feel to it compared to the other displays we've seen. As Pierre mentioned, the finale was pretty good, but it wasn't long enough! lol Like Australia, it just needed more of a thundering close and a just a little more in the way of longevity. Good finale, though!

Other than that, the quality of product was superb! There were many effects, including clearly many farfalles, shell of shells, multibreaks, shells of strobes, shells of hearts, girandolas (a little scarce this year), plenty of horsetails, nautical shells, orange flares, large fans of comets towards the center, mines of sreaming serpents, fountains and lots of salutes for the finale! Aside from a few noticeable instances, this display was nicely balanced from top to bottom and was pretty much symmetrical from left to right.

I'm seriously thinking about how to judge this display. To be perfectly honest, though, Argentina's performance was one of the most enjoyable for me, mainly because it was often often active and overall had a nice delivery. What threw me off, really, were the components making up the theme - I felt more of the tango than the emotions that were mentioned.

Great effort from team Argentina!

Trav.

....That's why this is the show i've been waiting for the most this season... So far Argentina's opening was the best. It started really well with jupiter's "trademark" willow mines with large willow shells on top.

Synchronization was spot on throught out the whole show. The gerbs sequence were really cool, they made all kinds of patterns. The gerbs were well synched and they didn't look cheesy Even the nautical shells were used nicely and good use was made of the space. Maybe at times the mines, comets, and candles were too centered but this made the fronts look deeper. It looked like the fireworks enjoyed themselves dancing to the music

The quality of products were as expected really good. A lot of nice italian products from ipon. I really like the farfalles and the tourbillions. The comets that exploded into nautical strobes were really nice too. A lot of large italian "donut" shells were used too, well i call them donut shells cause they look like donuts xD some of them even had crosses at the middle. I think one of the newer effects where the shells that are divided in 3 colors. One minor comment would be that some of the mines were a bit too small in ratio to the whole firing area. Some of the products were used very smartly such as the 6 pointed fountains with the wheels at the back (im not sure if this is how they made it).

The song choice really brought out the theme. Maybe i'm the only one who thought that each of the music had a different rhythm and feeling but they sounded similar because of the same instruments used. I still yet have to see a show by jupiter that doesn't use tango hehe... Most of their shows have tango soundtracks, i'm surprised it's not getting too repetitive.

Finally, I'm surprised with their finale. It was dramatic and intense, the song was really good for a finale. It started not too intense but it built up really well. Lots of salutes but the final bang could have used a few more but it was really good. I think this one goes up the ranking easily with the second maybe a bit far interms of points. So far this is my rankings:
1. Fuegos Artificiales Jupiter (Argentina)
2. Pirotecnia Igual (Spain)
3. Pyromagic Productions (Hongkong/China)
4. Foti Fireworks (Australia)
5. Pains Fireworks (England)

Certainly, the competition is heating up already with 3 more competing shows. I'm also looking forward to the next participant, Royal Pyrotechnie.

Vander

Oh yes ! What a Show! Magnific shells, perfect synchronitzation, magnific music... MAGNIFIC DISPLAY !

The opening segment was massive! And the finale was great too, it was crazy. Maybe a big bang at the end could have been better. Despite this it was a great finale, intense, fast,loud...

The shells were awesome, the italian proucts worked very well with the music. The soundtrack was very good, with different rythms and intensities.

The display was truly a " Carroussel of emotions". For me the number one so far.

My ranking:

1- Fuegos Artificiales Jupiter - Argentina - *
2- Pains Fireworks - United Kingdom - *
3- Pirotecnia Igual - Spain -
4- Pyromagic - Hongkong, China -
5- Foti Fireworks - Australia -

*Both displays are for me much better than the rest, the Pains and Jupiters exibhitions are in a higher level than the others.


Lets see what happen next saturaday with QUÉBEC !!!

Wow,

I just realised that the Benito that Paul war referring to in his comment, is none other than Benito Pagano, the genius in pyrotechnics!!! I just read it in the thread about the interview with Fuegos Artificiales. Benito, you ARE THE BEST !!!
Now, I understand why I enjoyed Argentina's display and finale so much. Benito, if you are reading this, please, do us all a big favor. Bring back IPON S.R.L. into the Montreal competition....as soon as you can. We want Montrealers and all the tourists to see, how wonderful a firework display and finale can be! The competition will never be the same without IPON S.R.L. with Benito Pagano at its helm!

Pierre

(I write most of my comments in French, but I feel that English is more appropriate for few words I want to add at the bottom of this post.)

Un très bon spectacle, par l’une des meilleures soirées de feux cette année, alors que pluie et orages ne menaçaient pas les spectateurs, qui n’avons cependant pas été épargnés par le vent : nous recevions dans les gradins une bonne dose de fumée, de poudre et de débris, souvent incandescents. Pendant la cérémonie protocolaire qui précéda le feu, le directeur du Festival d’art pyrotechnique de Cannes s’est adressé brièvement aux spectateurs, le temps de dire que son concours était la seconde plus prestigieuse compétition pyromusicale au monde, derrière celle de Montréal, au grand plaisir de la directrice Martyne Gagnon (!) et de l’auditoire chauvin qui manifesta son contentement. Le feu a débuté avec un retard d’environ trois minutes, vraisemblablement en raison d’une difficulté à positionner adéquatement la plate-forme flottante vers laquelle une chanteuse allait être transportée vers la mi-temps du spectacle. Encore une fois, le décompte officiel manquait de synchronisation avec le système de mise à feu (une mauvaise habitude, cette année) et les premières bombes éclatèrent avant que Michel Lacroix n’ait terminé son compte à rebours, rendu avec toujours autant de prestance.

Et quel début! Un tableau extrêmement rythmé, avec une myriade de bombes multibris qui remplissaient le ciel de courtes comètes blanches, et des mines rouges près du lac, dans une harmonie avec la musique qui ne s’est pas démentie pendant tout le spectacle. Peu de temps après, il semble évident qu’un problème technique a empêché la mise à feu de certaines bombes : il y a eu un black-out complet de 40 secondes, suivi par deux bombes dessinant un sillage lors de leur ascension, puis le black-out s’est poursuivi un autre 20 secondes, avant que deux autres bombes ne soient lancées, puis que le feu ne retrouve son rythme régulier avec l’enchaînement vers le tableau subséquent. On ne peut malheureusement s’empêcher d’appliquer ici une légère pénalité au chapitre de la conception technique. On note aussi un usage relativement modéré de l’espace nautique par rapport aux concurrents précédents, bien que quelques fusées éclairantes et bombes nautiques soient apparues sur l’eau.

Il semble que les membres du forum qui ont laissé leurs commentaires jusqu’à maintenant n’ont pas remarqué un effet très particulier qui n’était peut-être visible que de La Ronde: à quelques occasions pendant le spectacle, des gerbes blanches lancées horizontalement, verticalement ou diagonalement depuis une série de mâts installés le long de la rampe 3 ont magnifiquement illustré les pas de danse. Des carrés ont ainsi été produits (gerbes successives vers le haut, la droite, le bas, et la gauche) ainsi qu’une séquence de gerbes marquant un déplacement rapide d’un bout à l’autre de la rampe. De telles gerbes sont régulièrement utilisées, mais l’usage que Fuegos en a fait était particulièrement original. Au plan de la conception pyromusicale dans son ensemble, les pièces pyrotechniques étaient judicieusement choisies pour se marier au rythme de la musique, ce qui ajoutait à la synchronisation, excellente tout au long du feu. La finale du feu a été très puissante, avec une accumulation de kamuros d’abord, puis une variété de pièces pyrotechniques qui créèrent la pétarade attendue au terme de la demi-heure (en fait, selon le minutage apparaissant sur mon vidéo, 29min55sec…). L’avant-dernier tableau, plus paisible, s’est terminé magnifiquement, avec l’éclosion d’une multitude de bombes laissant retombées des chutes dorées en haute altitude.

Un peu plus de diversité dans le choix des pièces pyrotechniques aurait été bienvenu. C’est probablement l’aspect du spectacle qui aurait le plus gagné en améliorations. La richesse des couleurs n’était pas exemplaire (beaucoup de kamuros et autres pièces dorées), les bombes multibris, bien que très belles, revenaient constamment. On a bien vu des bombes d’étoiles à trois ou quatre couleurs clairement groupées, de même que des soucoupes à double ascension qui se font plus rares cette année, mais cela n’était pas suffisant. J’ai commencé à éprouver, un peu après la performance de la chanteuse sur la scène, une légère lassitude attribuable à ce manque de diversité. Il faut dire aussi que cette homogénéité était à l’image de la bande sonore. Bien que les rythmes variaient d’un tableau à l’autre, il demeure que la sonorité était particulièrement similaire tout au long du spectacle. L’intervention d’une chanteuse pour un tableau est un élément original (qui me fait attribuer 9/10 sur ce critère, au lieu de 8 ou 8,5), mais il n’a pas ajouté beaucoup de diversité à la conception musicale.

Pièces pyrotechniques : 8,0/10
Conception pyromusicale : 9,5/10
Conception technique : 8,0/10
Bande sonore : 9,0/10
Synchronisation : 9,5/10

Total : 44,0/50

1. Pyromagic Productions (Hong Kong) (93%)
2. Pirotécnia Igual (Espagne) (91,5%)
3. Pains Fireworks (Angleterre) (91%)
4. Fuegos Artificales Jupiter (Argentine) (88%)
5. Foti International Fireworks (Australie) (87%)

A few words for the English readers, and especially the contestants who read this forum. There are three remaining entrants, including two who have won a Gold Jupiter. The level of the competition is incredibly high this year and it is very difficult to classify the displays. While we usually see some original effect in a couple of shows every year, each performance brings new things this year. The space available is used in particular ways. Etc. I think that the diversity of rankings published by the members of the forum (and other rankings from loyal viewers I talk with) reflects the quality of the 2009 season. I expect that it will be very difficult to predict which teams will be on the podium this year. I think that the past few editions of the competition were "normal", with some very good shows and some other less good, sometime with major problems. It seems that the 2009 edition is an outstanding one.

Fred

Hi all,

I read your opinions and became surprised with my own, which is slightly different : I did not enjoyed Argentina's display as much as the previous shows. At times, I even found it boring.

The sequences were too repetitive for my liking and the Fuegos Artificiales team failed to fill the sky regularly : there was either low altitude OR high altitude shells. I prefer when the conceptors choose to fire both type of shells at the same time or relatively close to each other. I am not a fan of Panzera-style finales either and this team did just that.

I understand that the appreciation of a show is a personal thing, so I really like to read your comments and understand why you enjoyed the show while it failed to impress me.

My complete evaluation (and some pictures) is on my website (in French).

It's nice to read the variety of comments regarding this display. For me, as I reflected in my review, I had more in the way of mixed feelings towards Argentina's performance. I enjoyed the display merely because it had quite a bit in the way of power and excitement as well as because of the nice diversity of product used (except towards the end). The sequencing was also fantastic and quite interesting at times, especially at low level and the way the shell of shells and multibreaks were often used (though they became repetitive). We could barely see the gerbs from Notre-Dame, Fred, but obviously not being able to see the full extent of those special effects in the way they were being executed in the patterns that you had described - I only had a greater appreciation for them when I saw Paul's video last night - I suppose that's why I included "interesting special effects" in my review to collectively describe the sequences (mainly at low level) that I was referring to.

The main downfall for me in this display was the thematic premise that was employed - it felt very general or simplistic in representation, which didn't make much in the way for complexity by comparison to other displays that we've seen thus far. As a result, much of the show had become a little repetitive for me, not just in terms of music (yes, Vander, perhaps it felt that way because of the same instruments involved in most soundtrack), but shown somewhat in the firing scheme as well. It became increasingly difficult for me to grasp all the fundamental components that were incorporated into the theme. So far, for me, England had the best and most clear thematic connection with the fireworks, as well as in terms of organization and design.

Btw, here's a video that I took of the last 3 minutes of the display. Sorry about the lights creating those purple lines there - they do pretty much disappear as the finale starts off due to its brightness.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ruvvjim6P1g

As for the weather, I can tell you that it's likely going to (finally) feel much more like July this coming week with building humidity tomorrow and progressively higher amounts as the week moves on. Now's your chance to get your shorts and t-shirts out for a change, even into the evening-overnight hours this week! Of course, with increasing moisture comes the risk for convective showers and thunderstorms, though that doesn't mean that the entire week will be a wash out. Very warm/hot temperatures+ moderate humidity+risk of t-storms (some possibly severe)=July. Let's hope my prediction comes true for the remainder of Summer.

Trav.

Wow. What a show. When all the gold shells broke loose, I went wild. Not only then did I realize that the finale was not over. And I only saw a few studata's in the finale (probably a dozen). I've seen alot more shells in an Ipon S.R.L finale, but that is probably because they are the best!

Overall, Argentina get's the throne for now. Next is our province, and Royal will give us a hell of a display...or so we hope!

1. Fuegos Artificales Jupiter
2. Pyromagic Productions
3. Pains Fireworks
4. Foti International Fireworks
5. Pirotécnia Igual

Pat

I don't have much time to write a review, but I have to disagree with some of the comments posted above. I don't think that the Argentina display was one of the best shows this year. I don't know why, but I got the impression that I was watching a 90s display! Not as professionally done as the other displays, but good enough! The songs and the synchronization were ok. The theme was not too original enough, although it's ok!

I really liked the little stage performance. Very interesting! Then again, I didn't understand why they needed to add that to the show, but I'd like to see more of these stage performances in the future! Loved the powerful shell of shells Very good finale! Adding a massive barrage of salutes at the very end of the finale would've been great!

All in all, a good show, but I wouldn't put it somewhere at the top.

My rankings so far - rated from La Ronde:

1. England
2. China
3. Spain
4. Australia
5. Argentina

Another display that divides the forum members - my oh my!

On this occasion I must side with those who did not find Argentina's display to be something to rave about. In fact, I wasn't really impressed by it much. To start, there was almost no theme - the music alone held the display together. As STL observed, there was a real lack of unification between high, mid and low level throughout the display. While the 30-some-odd "sticks" that were used served a purpose, the effect - especially when used singularly and not as part of a pattern - were very bland; too much attention was given to them and it fell flat, much like the spinning yin and yang symbols in the England display earlier this season. The soundtrack was pleasant but, as many have pointed out, most tracks lacked demarcation from the rest. That is not entirely a bad thing, but when the music is your only means to convey theme, and it doesn't offer much variation, then your theme stays static. I grew tiresome at some points of the firing pattern - however there were moments in the music that would queue greater and lesser intensity in firing which worked well.

The quality of product used was excellent in my opinion - among the best I've seen throughout a display in the past few years. Some of the pieces were truly spectacular. It's a shame they weren't put to better use.

While I understand the appeal of Fuegos Artificiales Jupiter's display, I hope that the judges do not consider them for a Jupiter award this year.

Tyler

Tyler, I think that that's a bit harsh.... the last sentence. I don't see why such a great display should not be considered for a jupiter award. They used the best products as of yet and their show's the most complex so far. It won't be so nice if such a great show will be brought down just by their theme.

vander

What I don't think is the Australian display was better than the Argentinian.... absolutly not, and I think this is not just a question of taste.

For me it was a subtle display with an interesting and risky coreography that deserve much more than a basic but powerfull display that was most of the time repetitive and simple.

If I were judge it would be one of my favourites dsiplays for sure.

Vander,

I understand that what I said may come across as harsh but I do stand by it. It is not to say that I detested Argentina's display, just that there is so much more to this competition, for me, than having the best products or having the biggest finale (where Argentina wins in my books on both counts so far this year). Fuegos Artificiales Jupiter's display did not make me feel anything. To me, it was the live singing of "Pendant Que" and then 27 more minutes of fireworks. You can have great product or great synchronization or a great "sounding" soundtrack but there has to be something there to support it - this is why theme is so important and, for me, touches on other aspects of the judging. It provides purpose and I didn't see a purpose to Argentina's display.

Rovira,

I agree that the Argentinian display was better than Australia's. However I think that there have already been three displays that were, hands down, better than both of those I just mentioned.

Tyler