The most ideal weather conditions of the season (so far) made an appearance for the French team, and, indeed, this was the first rain-free fireworks day of 2017. As projected, a few mid- to high-altitude cloud clusters were present during the evening, and temperatures were at 22-23 C (22 C during the display), and then 21 C not long after the display had ended. Humidity was also borderline low to moderate (this was the first time since July 13th when such humidity levels occurred), and this prevented thicker smoke accumulations from occurring. Winds were also in the form of Northerlies to NNW, which caused the smoke to move to the left of the La Ronde audience. However, wind speeds were a little stronger than expected (speeds closer to 13-16 km/h throughout the late-afternoon to evening), and this caused the smoke to move fairly rapidly, as opposed to gently.
The display began a little slowly during some brief narration supplied in the introduction, but the skies quickly came to life from low- to eventually mid-level. As the display progressed, I quickly found that several of the sequences, especially at low-level, were elaborate and graceful, and given the width of the display, the firing patterns often appeared very pleasing visually. The gold-glittering double-ascension girandolas, in “Mes Souliers Sont Rouges”, were absolutely stunning and represented the associated musical track well in its opening (although more activity would have been welcomed). These are always crowd-pleasers when they appear, but I thought that they really provided a profound sense of emotion in this display, and often in previous displays when utilized. Other effects that really captivated the audience, as usual, were the “
“ “ @ “ and heart shells.
The color richness was excellent, as was the case in all of the displays so far this year, but I felt like the color diversity and richness were more distinct in this display because of the weather conditions (lower humidity levels and minimal smoke build-up). The interplay between colors, especially with the firing patterns at low-level, were interesting and brought vibrancy to the display. Transitions in rhythm and pace were evident and flowed well during the show while usually evoking good changes in emotion. I also liked the display for its product quality and often well-executed choreography. Indeed, the one-shots and rainbow-firing patterns represented well key elements that encompassed some soundtrack. The one-shots were notably effective during the narratives that had been given, at the introductory section of the show. In particular, the segment that I admired most was that of “Mes Souliers Sont Rouges”. The audience really came to life during this segment, and you could see some spectators engaging with the music here! I enjoyed the sequences featured in this segment, especially the rapid left-to-right and right-to-left firing at very-low level – this made the music very immersive!
As much as I thought that the display was enjoyable, one principal criticism was that the thematic premise was somewhat elusive. This may be that I was expecting a more sectioned approach to represent the theme, as what we had seen for the Italian display in 2013. Specifically, I was hoping to experience a more organized arrangement/selection of soundtrack to transport the audience on a musical journey that highlights how music has evolved through time, and I did not typically receive that impression.
I cannot say that I enjoyed the overall musical selection, as I felt a high variability of enjoyment, that is, there were some songs that I really liked, while there were others that I did not too care for – almost evenly split. Similarly, some songs seemed out of place in this display relative to the theme, so it was difficult for me to really make the connection. Also, I thought that some segments needed more representation and energy to really bring out the essence of those tracks; there were about three segments where it appeared that the conclusions of songs were “left hanging”. For instance, at the end of “One Love”, the music was in the process of fading for a fair amount of time and no pyrotechnics were occurring. Also, “We Will Rock You” and “Rabbi Jacob” needed more energy for representation and, for me, required a more distinct conclusion before transitioning to their next piece. Although I did not really care for the song, “Feeling Good”, I felt that Sweden demonstrated a better representation of it last year. As such, there were a few moments where transitions were not too clean, and I felt like the display lacked a higher level of complexity/creativity, as well as energetic sequences, as compared to the previous displays. Some firing patterns were a little redundant, too, notably with respect to the rainbow-firing along low-level. This made some segments appear somewhat similar as opposed to truly unique and led to, at times, a more simplistic pyromusical design. As for the finale, it was intense, but much too brief and monochromatic for my taste.
Overall, a very enjoyable display, and definitely a contender for a Jupiter award. Although I was expecting a little more, the display was a little stronger conceptually than the previous three competitors, which does give it an advantage, in my humble opinion, and some of the musical choices were quite interactive.
Trav.
Page 1 of 46: 2 3 4 5 ... 43 44 45 46 Next »