1997 l'International Benson & Hedges Montréal Pyromusical Competition Report

United States Pyrocarnival Wednesday July 16^th, 1997

Rozzi's Famous Fireworks

The heavy humidy of the previous display gave way to a perfect warm summer's evening. Huge crowds packed into La Ronde to see an eleven part display by one of the big Italian names in American fireworks. Promising a brilliantly coloured pyrocarnival, more than 80% of the fireworks for this display were fabricated by Rozzi in Loveland, near Cincinnati.

Part 1 to the music Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs by Jean-Baptiste Lully for the film Tous les matins du monde. The display opened with large comet shells followed by colour shells. Then some multi-break charcoal comet shells, shells of fireflies and some nice shells of blue stars and gold charcoal comets. This entire first section was played out in shells. Blue stars turning to white; colour stars mixed with fireflies; glitter comets; multi-break charcoal comets; gold comets and green stars; shells with comets and pistils; nice glitter and firefly shells; blue stars changing to red. The end of the segment began with really large colour shells followed by a massive weeping willow and finally a ring of titanium salutes.

Part 2 to the music Odeon by Gypsy King. This began with mines of wiggling serpents and salutes followed by shaped burst shells producing rings and double concentric rings in bright coloured stars. Then shells which produced tight clusters of bright stars followed by shells of blue go-getter. Next, multi-breaks of shells of charcoal comets with pistils, comet go-getters which turned into fireflies. Then some nice multi-break white comets. These were followed by multi-break cluster star shells, shells with pistils and more of the go-getter comets turning to fireflies. This theme was repeated and increased to bring this segment to a close.

Part 3 to the music Mi Terra by Gloria Estefan. A series of horizontal and vertical wheels with a flight of girandolas opened this segment. Then shells with rising tails bursting to glitter comets, then colour shells and shells of bright gold comets. Next, a line of bright glittering fountains with colour ball shells above and shells of rings. After this, crackling comet shells and multi-break cluster star shells. Then colour shells, gold glitter and multi-breaks of tourbillons which turned into salutes. Then a barrage of mines of serpents with shells of blue stars and tourbillons above followed by the same but with red stars. Another front of serpent mines and tourbillon shells followed by multi-break spider shells and a barrage of titanium salutes. Then mines of comets, mines of dazzling yellow stars, mines of serpents and salutes with multi-break go-getter shells above. Next, a line of orange fountains and a grove of palm-tree shells until a final large palm tree with silver glittery fronds and fireflies.

Part 4 to the music Thine Alone by Gloria Estefan. Blue star candles and shells of the same above opened this segment. Then the same thing but with pink stars in candles and shells. Then in green in candles and shells. Next, charcoal comet candles with silver ends and the same in shells above. This theme repeated and the segment was brought to a close with a huge glittering willow shell with a pistil and some crackling stars.

Part 5 to the music Fantasy for trumpet and orchestra from Carmen by Georges Bizet. Orange multi-break shells and go-getters with colour mines livened the pace from the previous segment. Then shells of crossette comets and shells of slow falling colour cluster stars. Then some really nice shells with glitter comets and interspersed bright saturated red and green stars around the edge. Many of these beautiful shells were fired. Then crossette white comet shells and lots of crackling shells and some dazzling multi-break electric comet shells. Then shells of crackling stars which sort of crackled into multi-pointed stars. Next, rings of salutes and then shells of charcoal comets which covered the sky with some really big salutes in there. Next, a line of very fast repeating ball candles with lavender stars. Then mines of the same and then green and then a beautiful peach colour with the same in shells above. Then blue, then purple, more peach and then clusters of slow falling stars in pastel colours. Next, a dramatic shell which produced the effect of multiple sheaves of golden wheat in the sky and finally a huge weeping will but with bright yellowish white rather than the usual dim orange fronds ended this segment and produced a gasp from the audience.

Part 6 to theme from the film Pyromaniacs. Nautic fountains and flares which turned into strobe pots covered a large portion of the lake. Then some small nautic mines burst gold and orange comets from the water. Above this, some white comet shells and then more but brighter. Next some remarkable firefly shells with really large stars which more flickered quickly rather than flashing on and off. Then different firefly shells with slower flashing orange stars and some white ones as well. Then really bright pale orange fireflies.

Part 7 to the music Mr Mottos Penguin by Mark Isham. This opened with shells of very large white fireball stars which burned all the way to the ground. This caused some concern in the section of the area I was sitting since we were having debris rain on us anyway because of the wind direction. Still burning pieces of shells were landing around me and some still burning stars were pretty close. After more of these fireball star shells, some dazzling white ball candles and shells which created a really great effect due to the brilliance. Then shells of silent salutes - in other words, very bright flashes. After several of these shells, a fairly bright weeping willow shell and then a shell with each half a different colour.

Part 8 to music fromThe Alan Parsons Project. Orange mines and shells of orange cluster stars followed by the same in green, then in purple, then in pale gold, then in aquamarine and finally in pink opened this segment. Above this, shells in multi-colour pastels. Then shells of ball stars turning into the crackle stars which produced the pointed star effects with crossette comet candles below. Then shells with each half a different colour and shells with pistils and comets turning to colour stars. This segment ended with some really large blue shells.

Part 9 to the music Dark Eyes from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein. Shells of blue stars and white fireflies opened this section. Then red and fireflies and other colours too. Next, shells of tourbillons and glitter followed by weeping willows. Then some really nice colour shells with pastel colours, peaches, lavenders etc. all mixed with some fireflies. Then more tourbillon and glitter shells and finally some huge blue shells with nice comet pistils.

Part 10 to the theme music of the film Hook. This began with some big multi-break shells of pale gold comets and then some willow shells. Then more multi-breaks of white comets, willows and colour stars. Next, really big pistil shells and some really nice multi-colour shells as well. Then sequenced multi-breaks of spider comets and finally yet more multi-breaks of comets turning into colour stars.

Part 11 to the theme music of the film Robin Hood. A barrage of really loud titanium salutes opened this final segment. Then huge weeping willow shells followed by white comet shells. Then shaped-burst shells of saturns and double concentric rings. Next, charcoal comet shells and lots of big gold glitter shells and huge glitter mines with white comet shells above. The pace increased as mine after mine of glitter and colour were fired in rapid succession. Above this, dozens of dazzling colour shells with comets, pistils and volleys of salutes. Then the pace increased yet again with a tremendous barrage of all sorts of shells and then a thunderous barrage of massive salutes. Just when the audience thought everything was over after the salutes, another volley of huge shells with pistils and multi-coloured stars completely filling the sky brought the display to a dramatic close.

This was a very enjoyable display. The range and quality of colours was outstanding and I particularly liked the flickering firefly stars. Synchronization was ok though a few times it appeared to be poor, but this may have been because of the way the music was organized. The crowd certainly enjoyed this display, though the constant rain of debris did spoil my enjoyment a little bit! This display is definitely in with a chance of picking up one of the Jupiters, but I don't think anyone could beat the Italian display this year.