Somewhat cool and breezy conditions were the backdrop for the Portuguese display, as severe thunderstorms passed through S. Quebec on July 23rd and set the stage for a cooler and drier air mass. Wind speeds during the display varied between 15-19 km/h from the NW and temperatures were registered at 21 C (20 C just after the display). Humidity levels maintained borderline low to moderate status and skies remained partly cloudy with clusters of cumulus clouds. The crowd appeared smaller than previous displays but still a good number of spectators were present to see the highly anticipated Grupo Luso Pirotecnia of Portugal!
This was most certainly a spectacular display, as expected, from the renowned Portuguese team! As the time drew closer to 10:00 p.m. I waited anxiously to see what surprises may be in store by Luso, especially after witnessing such an exquisite display in 2008 which was definitely one of the best displays I've seen in this competition! As the numerous ideas coursed and surged through my imagination moments before the show commenced, the display began very interestingly with the formal countdown, soon followed by a sudden burst of shells filling the sky and making for a pleasing opening and corresponding roars of approval from the audience!
Through many points of the display, I was thrilled with the elaborate synchronization in representing many of the musical selections used, particularly during the opening segment involving Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal", and especially during "We Stay Up All Night" and "Runaway Baby", where Runaway Baby (and, arguably, the concluding segment with Yolanda Soares) offered some of the most enjoyable sequences for this display, especially the mines and accompanying effects, reminding me a little of Sweden 2010! Although the overall diversity of pyrotechnics was somewhat limited, I thought that many effects used worked very well with the music, and there had sometimes been an interesting interplay of effects that nicely complemented the some of the selected soundtracks, as was seen during the "Fly Me To The Moon", for instance. The music choices were mostly enjoyable and were quite effective for the right sort of transitions that needed to be implemented with the thematic components of "Fire" and "Soul". The changes from segment to segment were, indeed, fluid, with no abrupt or slow starts between them. Many of the songs used had also been carefully selected to evoke the correct emotions - this was mostly felt for the "Soul" components, and I personally thought that "Diem ex Dei" brought a strong, emotionally-driven feel to it, really captivating me into the display at that particular point.
I must, however, briefly comment on the segment of "We Stay Up All Night", as this was quite possibly the most enjoyable section of the show, and the pendulums, most assuredly, offered a wonderful dimension to this display. It was a little difficult to discern what these totem-like structures were from Notre-Dame and de Lorimier, but many of the effects could be seen associated with them. My first observations led me to believe that large nautical shells had been used for this display - however, as Paul had previously clarified, these were, in fact, sequences of shells originating from the pendulums themselves. Regardless, the display took on a very dramatic feel once the pendulums first made an appearance, and their use for the display in its entirety surely merits points for originality and innovation! As Paul had also stated, the fireball effects emanating from the pendulums were also very enticing, but I probably would have benefited the most from the heat given off by them, had I been on site at La Ronde, as the combination of breezy winds and lower humidity levels was really giving me the chills during the display!
My principal criticism with this display, as briefly expressed above, is repetition, mostly with respect to the frequent use of horsetails and shells of go-getters. Although these effects were varied in appearance (as pointed out by Vander), I felt that their abundance reduced the overall diversity and complexity of the display and could have been replaced with more appropriate effects at certain points. Nautical devices, such as the nautical mines used in the 2008 display, for example, would have been very well suited for a few sections in this year's performance.
The transitions in pace were very well done, but I personally thought that following the opening segment, the show became more focused on the "Soul" component of the theme. This eventually led to both a feeling of monotony, and an initial impression that the display would be organized in such a way that the first half of it would be devoted to "Soul", while the latter attached to "Fire" (a dichotomous approach similar to England 2007 and, more recently, Italy 2011). However, it later became apparent that this was intended to be more of a mixing between these two key components in between the display, rather than separated individually into two individual sections. In this sense, though the changes in rhythm and pace were clearly enforced, the focus towards the "Soul" component through most of the first third of the display caused it to feel somewhat disproportional.
For these reasons, in spite of the integration of the pendulums, I thought that their 2008 display was more technically compelling, although this year's performance certainly commanded more depth and clarity in its thematic premise. It is also very well possible that I enjoyed the 2008 display a little more because of the musical selections, special effects (such as the opening of the Mission Impossible segment), the choice of effects used for representaton, as well as the structure/organization of the show.
The finale was totally awesome and was certainly reminiscent of their 2008 conclusion! This finale was built with the right crescendo and had good endurance, as well as beautiful transitions in color! As rightfully stated by Enkil, this is the top finale so far this year!
All that being said, Grupo Luso Pirotecnia has undoubtedly delivered a truly magnificent performance, and, in some ways, it reminded me a fair amount of the their 2008 display, especially with respect to the finale, and some of the sequences presented at certain points of the show. Though my negatives may come across as being major, they should not be treated as such, as this was a very well coordinated display, with very precise choreography, an enjoyable, relevant and largely emotional selection of music, a fair diversity of product, and, of course, bringing a great deal of innovation to both the display and the competition (much like Switzerland)! Thank you, Grupo Luso Pirotecnia, for bringing us yet another finely crafted display that will surely be remembered and referred to for the years to come!
Trav.
