Yet another edition of the Montreal fireworks competition is coming to a close. I am also finding it very difficult to believe that I am finishing 28 years of attendance at this competition. Every year had a different story to tell, and this year was no exception.
To start, let me say that after experiencing the very significant traffic congestions of last year (2016), it has become increasingly difficult to journey to greater Montreal from the SW West Island. Due to amplified construction activities on the Turcot interchange, traffic has become severe around the city, especially merging in from Highway 40 into Decarie, and then more especially from Decarie to the 720 Eastbound. Fortunately, we faithfully used our alternate route from last year and managed to get to Notre-Dame Street over a range of 53 to 56 minutes. Pre-2016, the time to travel to the same destination was 31 to 33 minutes. However, as is always the challenge, the problem is not so much getting there, but rather getting out. Indeed, when we used to be able to access the Ville-Marie tunnel from Viger Street, the time to reach the SW West Island was 38-41 minutes (due to having to navigate through the very large crowds. Because Rene-Levesque and the tunnel are now no longer accessible reasonably quickly following the displays since the 2015 season, it takes almost exactly an hour extra to reach home. More recently, just when we thought that it couldn’t become any worse, we learned about the formula E racing event being established on Rene-Levesque at the end of this past July. What little options we previously had to get onto Rene-Levesque were no longer available. After the British display, we discovered just how painful it was to get out of there – to merely exit our parking slot, at 10:36 p.m., it took us
48 minutes just to turn left onto Notre-Dame Street (going North) due to it taking so long for officials to begin directing traffic.
Nevertheless, despite the traffic issues featured by both 2016 and this year, I have continued to enjoy the fireworks displays of the competition. I have always reminded myself how fortunate we are to still have this competition running, despite a third consecutive season of only eight displays. Thus, the Montreal fireworks competition still remains as an integral part of my Summer! I must concur, though, with previous comments that the 2017 edition of Montreal fireworks has been below average with respect to innovation. Indeed, all of the displays had a generic structure to them, and no special structures were used to emphasize sequences and to more elaborately highlight key elements that engendered the soundtracks used. The most intricate segment, for me, was the piano piece seen during the German display. Of course, exciting and very accomplished displays can be achieved without the use of structure! One aspect that I particularly noticed about this year, too, and was a little disappointed by, was the lack of strong thematic connections. Although some themes appeared quite interesting, I often had difficulty piecing together what was trying to be conveyed, even when narration was supplied. In some cases, the beginning of the display made sense with respect to the theme, but then most of the remainder of the displays would just seem to diverge from the objective somehow. I thought that the Portuguese theme was the most representative, organized and obvious. Poland’s theme was also well represented, but it was a very simple theme that left no real exploration of additional dimensions to enhance complexity. Germany’s seemed tenacious, but the connection was indirect. I was probably most disappointed by the French theme because I was hoping for an approach similar to Italy 2013. Combined with the lack of representation, the pyromusical design of the displays this year was nothing overly spectacular. The finales were okay, but I was expecting more from many of them – with the exception of Italy, all of the finales had a dependency on a narrow range of colors, which is ironic because we witnessed a large diversity of color this year among almost all displays, with the Portuguese having the smallest range. Nevertheless, I think that Portugal had the most intense and enduring finale, but Italy’s stood out as being more intense somehow, probably because of it had more color richness. Technical issues were not too pronounced this year, though there were some firing problems in both the Portuguese and British displays.
Just to speak a little about weather conditions featured by the Summer of 2017 since it has been a rather interesting one, to say the least. As of December 2016, precipitation has remarkably remained above to well above normal for much of Southern Ontario to Southern Quebec, and the May to July period had been incredibly wet. This has consistently translated into a wet fireworks season this year, even though no display was affected by rainfall “during” the 10:00-10:30 p.m. time frame. That said, six out of the eight fireworks days (since the closing should experience some rainfall) observed some quantity of rainfall, with only France and England remaining completely dry on their presentation days. A very heavy rainfall occurred just a few moments following the conclusion of the opening display, and powerful thunderstorms affected the early part of July 8th (Italy’s fireworks day). During the late-afternoon of Germany’s display day, very heavy rains affected much of the island of Montreal due to a weakening thunderstorm that originated just North of the West Island. This contributed to the highest humidity levels of all fireworks days this year. It didn’t end there, as light rain showers occurred during the early-morning of Poland’s display day, and brief light rain showers were present just a little prior to Portugal’s display. Although I am still uncertain as to whether lightning (distant and/or overhead) made an appearance for consecutive fireworks evenings in the history of the competition, it remarkably occurred this year. Indeed, for the opening show, as well as 34-41 minutes prior to Italy’s display, distant lightning was observed.
With the exception of France and England, all of the displays had high to very high humidity to accompany them, and Germany had the absolute highest humidity of all competitors. This often enhanced the likelihood for rapid smoke accumulations. Fortunately, wind speeds were usually strong enough to clear the smoke adequately, but wind direction was not so cooperative, especially during the first half of the competition (relative to the La Ronde audience). For example, although wind direction was suitable for much of the opening display, the winds suddenly turned towards the La Ronde audience during the dying minutes of the display due to a convective rainfall advancing towards the area. For Italy’s display, the smoke was blowing quickly towards the La Ronde audience, and during Poland’s performance, the smoke was pushing towards right-hand (partially central) sections. By Germany’s display, the smoke, again, was moving towards the audience (central and left-hand sections), and wind speeds were dangerously weak (second weakest this year), especially considering the very high humidity featured by July 19th. By the French display, the smoke was finally moving clear to the left of La Ronde viewers, though unfavorably towards viewers on adjacent sections of the bridge. Smoke accumulations, though, were moving towards more extreme right-hand sections of the La Ronde audience for the Portuguese display. Conversely, the wind speeds present for the British display were the weakest of all competitors, being very light to occasionally calm. However, the Easterly component in the wind fields favorably pushed the smoke directly away from the La Ronde audience but unfavorably towards Northern portions of Notre-Dame spectators. Finally, it appears the smoke could be moving towards right-hand (partially central) sections of the La Ronde audience for the closing show, but with fast wind speeds. Ultimately, smoke will likely move towards the La Ronde audience for six of the eight fireworks displays.
These observations so far this Summer are largely consistent with what had been specified in my Spring-Summer 2017 outlook presented above. We have continued to see above average precipitation for the Spring-Summer period so far. Thunderstorms have also played an important role in governing this above normal regime, as occurrences have been unusually numerous this year, though the number of “severe” thunderstorms has been fewer than some previous years. Furthermore, overall temperatures (all maximum and minimum temperatures averaged) have been about normal, but maximum temperatures/daytime highs have trended slightly below average over the May-July period, including fewer days reaching 30.0+ Celsius (C). It has, however, been more humid than normal up to this point, so it correspondingly “felt” much warmer than what the overall base temperature distributions have been since the beginning of May. Consequently, it was a more humid than hot Spring-Summer period so far this year.
I also wanted to thank Paul for continuing to keep this forum/website alive and active, and for taking the time to provide us with detailed inside information concerning each display through his interviews, and now for providing us with full-length videos of the displays! I similarly thank Mylene for all of her work in conducting interviews and bringing us additional information! I also took many moments this year to remember Bob Burch and recognize his outstanding work with his photography – his passion for this competition will forever live with us. I also wanted to acknowledge Bob’s supplying of full-length video footage for seven straight years (2010-2016) of the displays on-site for viewers who are unable to attend. Additionally, I would like to thank forum member, jbbank, for kindly sharing his full-length videos, either from Notre-Dame Street or La Ronde! Many thanks to our other photographers for continuously sharing their spectacular photos! Finally, I extend my thanks to all forum members for their continued participation on the forum and continuing to share all of their thoughts and insightful commentaries of each display (and in other discussions)!
Below are my summaries for each display, highlighting what I assessed as strong and weak aspects of the shows. Following this, you will find my personal predictions for the jury's decision, as well as my personal choices for the winners. Afterwards, for the fun of it, I have added subsequent sections for various criteria (such as best choice of music, best finales, best sequencing, etc.) and placed those participants best suited for each in accordance with my personal tastes.
Participating country: Italy
Company: Vaccalluzzo Events SRL
Date of presentation: July 8th, 2017
This was the first of two fireworks days that observed thunderstorms/heavy rainfall. Indeed, after powerful thunderstorms during the early-morning period, the air was quite humid for the remainder of the day. Occasional distant lightning was also briefly observed just prior to 9:30 p.m., to the SE. Evening temperatures were warm, at 21 C, but humidity was high. Wind direction also did not favor the La Ronde audience, as smoke was moving directly, but reasonably quickly, towards them.
A very enjoyable display by the return of Vaccalluzzo. After a very successful performance with their 2012 entry, this was one of the more highly anticipated shows this year. The 2017 display, entitled “Bellissima Sicilia” made for some enjoyable sequences and energetic pieces. Product quality was some of the best this year, as demonstrated by very rich and vibrant colors and symmetrical shells. The finale was also the second most extravagant of all shows this year, in my opinion. However, I was awaiting a more complex pyromusical design and tenacious thematic premise. Unfortunately, as exciting as this show was with its numerous shell of shells and multi-breaks, the firing scheme was quite simple and did not really adequately bring out the elements that engendered many of the songs utilized. Product diversification was also rather limited and further added to the overall simplistic design. The narration at the beginning of the display, too, was much too long for my taste and did not really convey the theme as well as I would have hoped. I suspect that the smoke may have played a role in the overall appearance of the show for those at La Ronde. Given these attributes, I do not think that the Italian team will be on the podium this year. Nevertheless, this was one of my favorite displays because of its color richness and high excitement level!
Quality of pyrotechnical pieces = 14/15
Pyromusical design = 24/30
Technical design = 25/30
Soundtrack = 12/15
Synchronization = 7.5/10
Total: 82.5/100
Participating country: Poland
Company: Surex
Date of presentation: July 15th, 2017
Early-day rain showers made an appearance on this fireworks day. The second highest humidity levels of all fireworks nights were also present for the Polish display, sustaining subsequently the warmest evening temperatures of this year’s competition (23-24 C). At the same time, smoke accumulations were rapidly occurring, and light WSW winds were pushing the smoke towards right-hand and partially central sections of the La Ronde audience.
This was a considerable improvement by Surex of Poland from the June 26th, 2010 display. The theme, “Just Fun”, was represented nicely through the numerous selected soundtrack used. Product quality was very good, though somewhat less than the Italian team’s, and there was a great diversity of effects and colors used – the colored eye with the comets being particularly memorable. Synchronization was also quite elaborate and was often executed in a creative manner (though there were moments when it was a little slack), and there had been many segments that were quite energetic, as would be expected with such a theme. The music was enjoyable, although there were several that I personally did not care for (such as “Sail”, which I also did not particularly enjoy during the 2012 Canadian display). However, while this display was faithfully tied to its theme, the thematic framework was overly simple to more effectively explore venues that could enhance creativity and emotional feel. This display also featured the most soundtracks of all competitors this year, so, at times, the fluidity of the display was not always present - this meant that some transitions between segments were not always clean. Some emotional transitions, nevertheless, were felt, and I was emotionally drawn to” Adiemus”. The finale had the correct intensity, but it was too broken up to create a really memorable conclusion. Very likely a contender for a Jupiter award this year (Gold, in my mind), and I suspect that, given the popularity of the music with the public, the team appears most favorable for the soundtrack award.
Quality of pyrotechnical pieces = 13/15
Pyromusical design = 27/30
Technical design = 26/30
Soundtrack = 13.5/15
Synchronization = 9/10
Total: 88.5/100
Participating country: Germany
Company: Innovative Pyrotechnik Gmbh
Date of presentation: July 19th, 2017
A late-afternoon weakening thunderstorm led to brief torrential rains. The rains played an important role in enhancing the already high humidity, creating the most humid evening of all fireworks nights this year. Temperatures of 24 C were also present, but it felt like 32 C with the very high humidity. Winds had also been light, and from the WNW, causing the smoke to move towards left-hand and central sections of the La Ronde audience and accumulating quickly. For these regions, this was the smokiest of all displays.
This was one of the most energetic shows of 2017, including featuring the most dramatic of openings. The display had a very operatic foundation and was used in attempt to represent the associated theme, ”Pyro Rhapsody”. We enjoyed some very good product quality, and a rich selection of colors. The piano segment was particularly memorable, as it was very elaborate with the one-shots, making for probably the most well-sequenced segment this year. However, the theme was poorly understood, and it was sometimes difficult to identify the connection to the music, some most of the soundtrack adhered to what the title meant. At the same time, the range of products used for representation was not particularly large, and firing patterns were often similar throughout the show. This limited the complexity of the design, unfortunately. The finale was powerful, but much too short-lived and monochrome. Given the limited concept and design of the display, the German team may miss the podium this year, though there is potential for the bronze.
Quality of pyrotechnical pieces = 14/15
Pyromusical design = 26/30
Technical design = 24/30
Soundtrack = 13/15
Synchronization = 8.5/10
Total: 85.5/100
Participating country: France
Company: féérie
Date of presentation: July 22nd, 2017
This was second of the two rain-free fireworks days observed this year, with much cooler and drier conditions present in time for the French display. Temperatures were still warm, at 21 C during display time, but with much smaller quantities of atmospheric moisture. Winds were also breezy, and from the North, so this was the first time for 2017 that the La Ronde audience was free of smoke!
The French display was well executed. We saw very good product quality and fantastic synchronization with very graceful and elegant low-level sequences. Color richness was also very good and often in a good mix. The show also featured many patterned shells that often captivated the audience. This was also one of the better shows to evoke more effective transitions in emotional feel. However, I found little to no thematic relevance in the display. The theme, “Evolution of Music”, offered potential to explore a musical journey through time’s river. Unfortunately, I did not really detect this, or anything resembling such an approach. Instead, the musical selection to represent the theme appeared more randomized, causing an elusive thematic premise. The representation of some songs was also limited, and, at times, there could have been more activity to illustrate the segments, notably towards their conclusions. Finally, this was the least energetic display this year, so it did lack the excitement factor featured by the other performances. The finale was also too short and consisted of only one color.
Overall, despite being conceptually weak, the display is possibly a contender for a Jupiter due to very well executed choreography and effective transitions in emotions. Product quality was also good, along with very interesting sequences and no real technical issues.
Quality of pyrotechnical pieces = 13/15
Pyromusical design = 25/30
Technical design = 26/30
Soundtrack = 12/15
Synchronization = 8.5/10
Total: 84.5/100
Participating country: Portugal
Company: Macedos Pirotecnia
Date of presentation: July 26th, 2017
Warm evening temperatures of 20-21 C made an appearance for this highly anticipated display. The combination of high humidity and somewhat light winds made for some periods of smoke accumulation, but smoke was blowing reasonably quickly towards extreme right-hand sections of the La Ronde audience. Some light rain showers also occurred during the mid-evening.
This was a well-structured display, which included the most tightly reinforced and meaningful thematic premise of all competitors this year. Product quality was excellent, and we saw a good range of effects used – the sequence of nautical shells was very good. Synchronization was often creatively demonstrated, although it would have been nice to see more representation of some of the soundtracks used. The music itself was relevant and enjoyable. It was unfortunate, however, that technical problems led to some firing positions not coming to life when they should have. This, consequently, led to several periods of asymmetry and made the display appear imbalanced. The finale was a bit too broken up and mostly one-colored, but I believe it was the best one this year.
Overall, despite some firing problems, this was a successful display, although this was a little less elaborate than their 2010 entry. Given these attributes, I suspect the Bronze Jupiter for the Portuguese team.
Quality of pyrotechnical pieces = 12.5/15
Pyromusical design = 27.5/30
Technical design = 25/30
Soundtrack = 13/15
Synchronization = 8.5/10
Total: 86.5/100
Participating country: England
Company: Jubilee Fireworks Ltd.
Date of presentation: July 29th, 2017
This was one of the only two fireworks days to be rain-free this year. A comfortable temperature of 21 C, accompanied by the lowest humidity levels of all competitors, made for fantastic conditions for this final in-competition display, which was probably the most anticipated display of the season. However, winds were very light to occasionally calm near the surface and had a ESE directional tendency (ENE above). This caused the smoke to move towards the Notre-Dame audience, mostly those sections going North. As a result, the display often had a hazy appearance for those viewing especially on Notre-Dame Street going North. Luckily, the humidity was low, so the smoke was not accumulating too rapidly.
As expected, this was a successful display that has a good chance of earning a Jupiter this year. Product quality was excellent, as we saw some very vibrant shells and color richness (despite the smoke build up, at times). There had also often been a good mixture of effects for representation of various soundtracks, and we observed very good transitional moments from one segment to another. Synchronization was very good and effective throughout the display. This display also featured the most dramatic opening of the season, with no hesitation after the countdown. That said, the thematic connection was not very clear, although the French version of “Gunpowder and Greasepaint” seemed to make more sense. Still, I felt that the relevance of the music with the theme became more divergent beyond the opening segment. Additional creativity would have also been welcomed to represent most of the songs. Also, some firing problems occurred at the right of the display, along low-levels to sometimes mid-altitude, giving a sense of imbalance. Fortunately, these moments were not too numerous.
Overall, a very good display, but I was hoping for a stronger thematic premise, which were largely my concerns with their 2015 debut display.
Quality of pyrotechnical pieces = 14/15
Pyromusical design = 26/30
Technical design = 27/30
Soundtrack = 12/15
Synchronization = 9/10
Total: 87/100
All of the displays were interesting and evidently had their strong and weak components. One aspect that was really missing this year, though, was strong musical representation, regardless if the thematic connection was obvious or not. Although I did not like all of the musical selections, I particularly enjoyed the Polish display’s rhythm and pace, and it was, indeed, quite a bit of fun, as suggested by the theme. There were no real technical issues with the display, and there was a better use of effects for representation compared to all displays, although transitions were not always clean. Although the theme was light, it was still connected to the display, and I was thoroughly entertained. Firing patterns were interesting, and the audience was engaged with the music often. I also loved the British display, but the theme was not as obvious, and there were firing problems unfolding enough to be noticeable. The display was strongly conveyed, however, and had a vibrant set of colors and very good product quality, along with interesting sequences along low-level. Portugal had a better reinforced theme but lacked the diversity featured by England, especially in terms of colors, and it also had noticeable firing problems. Germany was also very enjoyable and often exciting, but the range of effects was somewhat more reserved, and firing schemes were simplistic, overall. Therefore, my jury predications and personal choices for the winners look like this:
Trav’s jury prediction:
1st: Poland
2nd: England
3rd: Portugal
Trav’s personal choice:
1st: Poland
2nd: England
3rd: Germany
Green Achievement Award: ?
Best choice of music:
1. Poland
2. Portugal
3. Germany
Most intriguing effects:
1. Poland
2. England
3. France
Best quality products:
1. Italy
2. Germany
3. England
Highest color richness:
1. Italy
2. Germany
3. Poland
Best devised and represented theme:
1. Portugal
2. Poland
3. Germany
Best sequences:
1. Poland
2. England
3. Portugal
4. France
Most powerful/energetic displays:
1. Italy
2. Germany
3. Portugal
Best opening segment:
1. Portugal
2. Germany
3. Poland
Top conclusions:
1. Portugal
2. Italy
3. England
Trav.
