What an interesting edition of the Montreal fireworks competition this was. Though it didn’t feel too much like a special anniversary to me this year (at least compared to that of 2004), the latter part of the competition somehow changed my mood a little. I guess I was also a little frustrated since the beginning when first hearing about La Ronde’s decision to hold the awards ceremony a week after the closing – what a dumb thing to do (sorry for sounding harsh, but it’s true), and on the 25th anniversary to boot. The closing wasn’t the greatest and was often dull – the performance felt like it was a 20 minute display stretched to 45 minutes. The displays were entertaining, but nothing exceptional to brag about. The weather in itself was interesting this Spring-Summer, though ranks as one of the coolest and wettest on record. Winds seemed to have played a role more than any other meteorological parameter as well. Funny enough, viewers stationed at all major vantage points this year had to contend with smoke flying straight towards them at least for one display (be it Notre-Dame, the bridge, the Old Port, or La Ronde), and seven out of ten displays had the risk for unsettled weather with only one, China, suffering with precipitation associated with strong thunderstorms just before and during the display, though it was both inappropriate and unsafe to have the fireworks taking place altogether when lightning was present at the time. Overall, August was the best month for the fireworks given that since the month ever started, all the displays have been experiencing more tranquil and Summer-like weather by comparison to both June and July (with the exception of the last week of both June and July). In addition, the wind direction was ideal (S-SW) for all the displays taking place in August.
This year, we were treated with a great diversity of displays dealing with traveling and exploration, love, culture, excitement and movies, all demonstrated in the most creative and unique fashion possible. I felt that we’ve also witnessed some excellent attempts at sequencing amongst many competitors and there was a great variety in product used to represent all the employed themes, enriched with dazzling colors and effects. For one thing, as last year was one of horsetails, I thought this year was more for farfalles. Written below are my commentaries for each display followed by an evaluation for each criterion that needs to be met. Following this, I have provided my predictions for the winners as well as my personal choices for them (Special Jupiter included).
Country participant: Spain
Company: Pirotecnia Igual
Date of presentation: June 20th, 2009
An overall excellent display was put on by the well renowned Spanish team, Pirotecnia Igual. The proposed theme, “Odyssey”, set the stage for wide exposure to a great variety of cultural aspects by making use of a diverse selection of music as the country took the audience of Montreal through various places on the globe once departing from Barcelona and later arriving in the city of Montreal. Using a variety of structures and effects, including a pyramid and a tower, the display well represented the theme in a very organized and fairly clear manner. In this way, synchronization was generally well done with respect to whatever soundtrack was being played – the sequencing was simply fantastic and offered some very well timed shots, particularly towards low level (good examples were during the Indian and Egyptian tracks). The narration at the beginning served as a great brief overview in what was to be expected of the performance, and as the show progressed, it was clear which regions of the globe were being represented. The quality of the product was good and the display had a nice color mix. Good balance was also common from low to high level. While the display was concocted in a creative manner, I found some of the effects slightly repetitive for my tastes, particularly the shells of go-getters towards the beginning pieces of the display. Synchronization was well done, but there were some points later in the display where the music was playing and no fireworks being fired in support of it (these were technical problems, I believe). On a related note, I felt that during some segments, the fireworks weren’t always doing the music justice. Finally, though I can deem the music selection appropriate, I found the last two choices, both by Avril Lavigne, to be very deviant from the main flow of the display and subsequently took away the general feel and perception of it altogether. Also, this display dealt with numerous soundtrack and, consequently, had to change quickly in order to fit into the allocated 30 minutes – the display, then, felt a little rushed from one segment to the next. The finale was ok, but obviously nothing anywhere near what Igual used to do in the past.
Pyrotechnical pieces: 8.5/10
Pyromusical design: 8/10
Technical design: 9/10
Soundtrack: 9/10
Synchronization: 8.5/10
Total: 42/50 –> 86%
Country participant: England/UK
Company: Pains Fireworks
Date of presentation: June 27th, 2009
As was the case with their performance in 2007, Pains Fireworks was most successful in their delivery in this year’s display, titled “Venus & Mars”. The objective of the theme was to represent both man and woman into two separate segments (roughly 10 minutes were allocated to both) before combining both components for the final 10 minutes of the display, much in the same way their “Day & Night” performance was devised in 2007. I must give credit to the British team for their organizational efforts, for their display, once again, was nicely designed while virtually running each part successfully during the given 10 minute periods without losing fluidity. The narration, like for Spain, sufficiently allowed for a good opening. Product quality was excellent, particularly the farfalles. The effects were also great and utilized when appropriate, though I was expecting certain effects to emerge towards the last part of the show and in between. The illuminated Mars and Venus symbols were a great addition to the display, and transitioned accordingly during the show. Color choice was good, but could have been a little more diverse to make things livelier at times – England was likely the least colorful of all competitors. Synchronization was nicely done, and, much like Spain, this display had some well timed sequences at low level. The music choice was good, but a couple of the track selections, to me, didn’t really connect to the theme. Finally, some of the parts towards the beginning of the display were a little too slow with respect to the music, which didn’t do the woman component justice at times, by comparison to that of the man. The “finale” was appropriate, but just needed to be a little more active with either more horsetails or large shells of gold comets. “My Immortal” was slow, but it certainly invited a little more activity towards the end. Overall, I believe England stands a good chance of collecting a Jupiter this year.
Pyrotechnical pieces: 9/10
Pyromusical design: 9/10
Technical design: 9.5/10
Soundtrack: 9/10
Synchronization: 9/10
Total: 45.5/50 -->91%
Country participant: Foti’s International Fireworks
Company: Australia
Date of presentation: July 4th, 2009
A powerful and, at times, energetic display was launched by the infamous Australian team, Foti’s International Fireworks, who took home the silver in 2001 and the bronze more recently in 2006. This show ranks among one of the loudest and largest as well. The product quality was excellent, particularly with respect to the dazzling colors given off by many of the shells at mid to high level as well as the fans of comets at lower level. A lot of the colors used were simply glamorous, and I personally loved the way Australia made use of certain effects for the various music choices (i.e. shells of gold strobes for Twinkle Twinkle Little Star). Many of the 8” shells were equally beautiful. Synchronization was well done and was particularly attractive towards low level with the fast sequences of mines, cakes and candles. That said, some segments terminated a little too abruptly in relation to the music. The music choice itself was good and allowed for successful transitioning points in rhythm and pace, but for a number of the songs, I just simply couldn’t establish that critical connection to the theme (Dream Catcher). On a similar note, the music selection listing was somewhat disorganized in representing the important components that were defining the theme to begin with - this made the transitions a little unclear while making the theme less understood by comparison to other thematic premises that have been presented this season. There were often similarities in firing patterns during the display, particularly with the shells at mid to high level, which, at times, took away the distinct transitional points that I was looking for, especially with a theme such as this – this made synchronization somewhat simplistic and seeming as if the display were less complex than it really was. The small shells forming a rainbow pattern at low level above ramp 4 were good, but later became a touch redundant. My expectations were also high for this display mainly because I was looking forward to a little more in the way of activity, especially since the various soundtrack used invited it. I was additionally awaiting a large number of nautical shells (a figure of 300 was stated), but there were instead very few. The finale was one of the best this year, but just finished too abruptly in that there was no thundering close to all the chaos that was present beforehand. Good conclusion, however, to an overall enjoyable performance, though with the level of the competition being so high this season, it may prove to be difficult for Australia to secure a spot on the podium.
Pyrotechnical pieces: 8.5/10
Pyromusical design: 8/10
Technical design: 8/10
Soundtrack: 8.5/10
Synchronization: 9/10
Total: 42/50 -->84%
Country participant: Hong Kong/China
Company: Pyromagic Productions Ltd
Date of presentation: July 11th, 2009
With severe thunderstorms occurring in parts of the island from 8-11:00 p.m., the display got off to an early start to get as much “good” weather in as possible, though lightning was still present - I was very, VERY surprised to find out that the display was permitted to go on when lightning was in or close to the area (I can’t help but wonder how some people interpret weather sometimes). In any case, despite the on and off heavy rains, it was actually the winds that were the saving grace for this display due to their speeds. All that said, a strong performance was delivered by China. Fantastic product quality was present along with a very large array of effects accompanied by wonderful synchronization, and sequencing, particularly at low level. I also found that much of the music selection was enjoyable. The lettering attempts used to introduce the five elements were very much welcome and unique, though they didn’t quite stand out in the way I was envisioning – some of the letters were actually quite distorted (perhaps the wind and rain played a role here), so it made it difficult to know what was being presented for each element. The show overall also had a very professional feel to it, while the choreography was simply stunning, providing the display with a lasting appeal for creativity - a 9.5/10 from me here. The theme, though not completely original, was nicely represented with most of the soundtrack being utilized and was, again, well organized. However, I couldn’t quite establish that relationship between the five elements and the man and woman component. Also, for the elements themselves, it didn’t seem too clear to me how each were being connected to the fireworks. During a couple of segments, too, the fireworks weren’t exactly doing justice to those tracks played. The finale was pretty good (the constant firing of the screaming serpents or whistling comets were memorable), but could have been a little more powerful towards the end. Still, a great conclusion to a nicely devised performance. Definitely a contender for an award, and possibly even for the gold if the judges really understood the theme.
Pyrotechnical pieces: 9/10 (could have used some better effects for each element)
Pyromusical design: 9/10
Technical design: 9/10
Soundtrack: 9/10
Synchronization: 9.5/10
Total: 45.5/50 -->91% (a tie with England)
Country participant: Argentina
Company: Fuegos Artificales Jupiter
Date of presentation: July 18th, 2009
Though the main wind flow was in the form of WSW, Westerlies dominated the 10-10:55 p.m. period, and that caused the smoke to blow straight towards the audience of La Ronde, like during Australia’s show. Despite the inconvenience, we were provided with quite an interesting performance from team Argentina. This display offered a great range of product along with some fabulously rich and deep colors in between. The product quality was excellent, most particularly with respect to the farfalles. The sequences along low level were stunning, especially with the extensive use of the gerbs and, at times, the unique and interesting patterns they executed. The mines of comets along the center were also captivating in accordance to the music. In the end, I personally feel that this display, compared to the other entrants, suffered from redundancy, not just in terms of the similarities heard in the music, but also in firing patterns and from excessive use of certain effects, namely the shell of shells (as much as I love those) and farfalles. Though the colors were often rich (probably the richest of the competitors), dazzling and flamboyant, the last 5 minutes or so of the performance were comparatively dull, since horsetails and kamuros were heavily used. During some tracks, at times, I felt that there simply wasn’t much going on, and some parts were overly silent for much too long of a time frame (namely around 5 minutes into the display – perhaps a small technical problem at the time, I’m not sure). Some of the fireworks that were used, too, simply weren’t enough to adequately represent certain parts – this sort of took away some the vibrancy of the show. The theme wasn’t original and it felt like it was being represented in a very simplistic manner. Synchronization was fairly good and most enjoyable along low level and through the shell of shells. Nice finale, but, like Australia, needed a more thundering close. All that said, this was a good effort from Argentina, just not quite as powerful of a delivery as what I remember from 2005. May have a chance to hold third place, but I think this decision will be based on taste in music, how well the theme was grasped, or how appreciative the judges were of the unique sequences at low level.
Pyrotechnical pieces: 9/10 (score a little high from me due to the color richness)
Pyromusical design: 8.5/10
Technical design: 8.5/10
Soundtrack: 8.5/10 (appropriate, but rhythm became repetitious)
Synchronization: 9/10
Total: 43.5/50 -->87%
Country participant: Canada
Company: Royal Pyrotechnie
Date of presentation: July 25th, 2009
Beautiful and ideal weather conditions prevailed for Canada’s highly anticipated performance, though, this time, winds were unfavorably blowing toward us folks viewing on Notre-Dame. What a powerful, creative, diverse and overall enormous display put on by the popular Royal Pirotechnie! The Canadian display possessed virtually everything needed to be successful, ranging from a diverse set of effects to fantastic choreography. This was probably the only display that really didn’t have any kind of repetition whatsoever, and that stimulated the creativity component of the show nicely, especially when it came to the transitions in rhythm and pace. The display also made use of two 20-meter towers positioned on each side of ramp 4, which, I thought, were a great addition to the display. The towers possessed some enjoyable sequences and dazzling effects and following closely to the music at the time. The colors were undoubtedly there and the effects used were incredibly diverse, while suiting each of the soundtrack. Product quality was excellent, as was the overall design of the show. All areas of the sky were taken advantage of, as was the space available, and so much more – at times it became difficult to keep track between low to high levels of sky since the shells sometimes became so ubiquitous. The nautical shells were some of the most memorable parts of the display, as well as the show often times being so powerful. The feeling was also amplified since the wind constantly blew the large 12” shells of gold comets directly overhead to where we were standing. My only real criticism for this display was the thematic relevance of “Voila” as it was vague and not as well understood, making it seem as if there was no significant foundation that the display could be built upon (maybe some points a little more understood than others) – I fear this will endanger Canada in securing the gold. However, given the strength of the display in every other criteria, it is very well still a possibility for them to win either the gold or silver. The finale was enjoyable (the introductory enduring curtain of cakes being most memorable) much like most of the show, but could have been a little more in the way of color and vehemence towards the climax. The kamuros near the end seemed to have quickly drowned out in the dense smoke, but definitely nothing to offset the quality of this display. During the display, we found ourselves getting occasionally hit with pieces of cardboard and paper (reminded me a little of France 1993). Canada must be a winner.
Pyrotechnical pieces: 9.5/10
Pyromusical design: 9/10 (a little less here because of the theme)
Technical design: 9.5/10
Soundtrack: 9/10
Synchronization: 9.5/10
Total: 46.5/50 -->93%
Country participant: United States
Company: Melrose Pyrotechnics
Date of presentation: August 1st, 2009
Possibly the best weather conditions were present for the American display with very warm evening temperatures (24-25 C in the metropolitan area) and moderate to high humidity along with the most favorable wind direction: Southerlies. America delivered a strong a performance, not in terms of simply power and excitement (as they are famed for), but additionally good in creativity and design. I personally loved the sequences at low level on and off throughout the show. This display, as seen during Canada, really made my ears ring, especially with the power of those 10-12” shells – the blasts coming from them were fearsome. Synchronization was particularly well executed because it tightly connected to multiple soundtracks that were employed – this was quite prevalent compared to most other participants this year and played an important role in the success of this display. The music selection was one of the most enjoyable for me and was appropriate for the theme. The thematic premise was fairly clear and the songs were carefully selected in support of that. My main criticism primarily relates to repetition in the firing patterns – I found that there were simply too many similarities in some of the segments at mid to high level that it sometimes led to a feeling of disproportion or imbalance between high and low portions of the sky. The display also felt somewhat general and sort of took away some of the complexity that I was awaiting. The finale was incredible for the 14 seconds for which it endured, but was much too short with an abrupt finish. It also felt somewhat less than anticipated since, as mentioned, roughly 1000 shells were expected to be fired in the last 12 seconds or so, but it instead it felt closer to 100. That said, a more and less sufficiently powerful close to an overall successful performance. On a side note, this display, as seen during Canada, really made my ears ring, especially with the power of those 10-12” shells. The United States has a good chance for picking up a prize.
Pyrotechnical pieces: 9/10
Pyromusical design: 9/10
Technical design: 8.5/10 (a little general here compared to their display in 2006)
Soundtrack: 9.5/10
Synchronization: 9/10
Total: 45/50 -->90%
Country participant: South Africa
Company: Fireworks for Africa
Date of presentation: August 7th, 2008
Once again, ideal weather conditions were the backdrop for a second Saturday in a row with almost identical conditions (winds included) to what was seen for the United States, though just a little cooler. A very enjoyable display was put on by the South African team and they have surely treated us with an overall powerful display with a fabulous opening to their theme associated with action movies (movies draw a lot of attention for themes, as it would seem). This show had some neat tracks, including a few of which were some popular favorites: James Bond, Jurassic Park and Armageddon. The transitions in pace were notably less apparent in this display than most of the competitors this year, mainly because there was often a myriad of shells exploding at mid to high level. There were some interesting sequences as well near low level and I found those to be quite dazzling, namely the fan of rockets near the center that often emerged there. The nautical shells seen were one of the most memorable parts of the show and really added vitality near the surface (especially the nautical shells of red stars – seemed like small volcanic eruptions from a distance!). Overall, I felt the display was average in its design, merely because the firing patterns (most notably with the shells) were frequently similar in nature, which drew away a lasting impression as to the representation of most soundtrack used – a lot of the time the fireworks were not doing much justice to the music. Also, I found some of the effects to be much too overused and that did also take some of the diversity and complexity away from the performance. The music was quite enjoyable, but not as well demonstrated as it could have been through the fireworks, especially when compared to what Portugal of last year did using a similar theme and subsequent soundtrack. The quality of the products was excellent and synchronization was good for the most part. A good finale, but lacked the sufficient buildup required for a sufficient close since the pace was fairly constant for the duration of the finale and didn’t really fall into place with the crescendo of the track used at the time.
Pyrotechnical pieces: 8/10
Pyromusical design: 8/10
Technical design: 7.5/10 (for me, it was just average)
Soundtrack: 9/10
Synchronization: 8/10
Total: 40.5/50--> 81%
Trav’s jury predictions:
1st: Canada
2nd: China
3rd: USA
Special Jupiter: USA (possibly Spain)
Trav’s personal choice:
1st: Canada
2nd: USA
3rd: China (I will be happy with England here as well)
Special Jupiter: USA
Best sequences:
1. Canada
2. Argentina
3. China
Best choice of music:
1. USA
2. Spain
3. England
Most diversified effects:
1. Canada
2. Australia
3. USA
Highest color richness:
1. Argentina
2. Canada
3. South Africa
Best concocted theme:
1. England
2. Spain
3. USA
Most powerful displays:
1. Canada
2. USA
3. South Africa
4. Australia
Top finishers: (none were that memorable this year)
1. USA
2. Panzera
3. Australia
Carefully revising everything, I sincerely feel that Canada will take home the gold. The diversity of effects, to me, stood out a good deal more than many of the performances this season and the synchronization was often well exploited in a creative manner, especially when it came to the use of those towers. In this way, the performance was fabulously choreographed and made use of all areas of sky possible and available space – the display never lost balance between high and low level as well as from the left to the right considering that it was often a very wide display. I also deeply feel that Canada made one of the best uses of the lake with particularly those brilliant nautical shells (to me, both Canada and South Africa had the best nautical shells). The product quality was superb and the colors were rich. Aside for the kamuros drowning in the smoke quickly towards the end, the theme was probably the main issue with the display as it proved difficult to establish that crucial connection to the display at times. Nevertheless, with every other standard being easily met, this quickly offsets the loss of a good thematic premise.
USA also tightly held an excellent display with probably the best finale this year, but sometimes suffered with a sense of imbalance between low and high level. The display, too, was rather simplistic in its overall delivery by comparison to Canada, and, at times, firing patterns became a little repetitious. China equally had an excellent array of effects and particularly sequencing along low level with the mines and roman candles. However, the problem for me with China was the overall clarity of the employed theme – it seemed a little complex to grasp the connection of the five elements with the man and woman component. More importantly, I found each of the elements weren’t as well represented as they could have been. Still, with enjoyable music, excellent choreography and design, I feel this display will hit either third or possibly second place. England was the most organized show, in my opinion, and had some great effects to represent the theme. Aside from a couple of tracks, the music was suitable and was fitting with the approach taken. The final segment of the show was the most emotional this season, but it felt a little imbalanced since the actual finale had taken place just prior to that piece. For me, England is in contention for the bronze along with China, which is why I have an equal score for both countries, but I feel the jury may put China in for silver because of the interesting creativity shown in the display, by comparison to the American’s somewhat less complex performance. Argentina was interesting in that it had some of the best and most complex sequences, namely at low level with the patterns exhibited by the gerbs. The show was also one of the stronger ones in terms of creativity, but suffered with a fairly redundant rhythm with respect to the soundtrack used. All in all, the winning displays for me this year are Canada, USA, China, England, and to some extent, Argentina. I would consider Spain as they had a great concept for their show (I think one of the best), but the last half of the display really fell apart in representation compared to the vibrancy exploited during the first. Predicting who would win the special Jupiter would be a difficult task since this boils down to taste in music. For me, the Special Jupiter would go to USA since, compared to other displays, the fireworks were demonstrated the best in connection with the music. The music choices suited the theme nicely, too, and thus worked exceedingly well, especially for the transitions in pace, (including representation of the changes in rhythm and pace within most of the soundtrack). I found most of the displays this year, in general, a little slack in the creativity sector, but they were still entertaining to watch, as always.
A special thanks goes out to all the crew members and organizers at La Ronde and those associated with the participants this season for making all of the glamorous fireworks nights possible. Thank you also, Paul, for taking the time to bring us a lot of inside information for each show this season through all the conducted interviews – very much appreciated. I also appreciate you posting full length videos for the second year going.
And so concludes 25 years of the Montreal fireworks competition and 20 great years of attendance on my part. Although I didn’t really see any memorable finales (when I say memorable, I mean a conclusion leaving me breathless and trembling with my ears ringing) for my 20th year attending this competition, at least many of the displays in their entirety turned out to be pleasurable to witness!
Trav.
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