1998 l'International Benson & Hedges Montréal Pyromusical Competition Report

Germany Planet Walk Sunday July 5^th, 1998

Weco Pyrotechnische Fabrik

A perfect summer evening, though without any wind to shift the smoke, was the backdrop to the German entry. After an unprecedented (in the fourteen year history of the competition) delay of seven minutes due to technical difficulties, the thirteen part display got underway.

Part 1 to the music 20^th Century Fox Fanfare - The Empire Strikes Back by John Williams. The display opened to fan shaped comets from the central platform, with comet and flower-like tourbillon shells above, followed by shells with blue pistils and rings. Then there were many flights of tightly packed rockets in sheaves, bursting to single white stars which filled the sky. After a slight pause for some commentry, a line of strobe-pots and several firey yellow flame projectors were fired. Above these, shells of fireflies and burst after burst of nice flower-like tourbillon shells with glitter as well. Then shells of gold glitter followed rapidly by volleys of firefly shells. Next, crossed ball candles in the centre of the lake and more of the flower-like tourbillon with gold glitter shells. The segment was brought to a close with volleys of ball star shells which ended in slow falling clusters of small stars.

Part 2 to the music from the film Apollo 13 by Erich Kunzel. This began with several flights of rockets in sheaves terminated in white stars. Then tourbillon candles with volleys of pistil shells above. Then shells of crackling charcoal crossettes followed by gold comet shells. Next white shells with blue pistils then blue shells with white pistils and blue shells with gold twinkling pistils. Below these, bombettes of fireflies. The segment was brought to a close with a barrage of gold comet shells with blue pistils and then blue shells with gold twinkling pistils.

Part 3 to the music from the film Starwars by Erich Kunzel. A line of fountains with nice candles of pale gold glittery comets and bright blue balls opened this segment. Then volleys of multi-break shells of blue and comet stars with more candles of comets and balls below. Bursts of titanium fountains were fired from the central platform and then mines of glitter with multi-colour ball shells above. Next, shells with rings of comets and then many barrages of shells of very loud crackling glitter which turned to fireflies. Then a huge willow shell tuurning to fireflies with hissing mines in the centre of the lake. Finally, the segment was brought to a close with huge white weeping willow shells.

Part 4 to the theme from the film Dune by Toto.

This began with some ground level salutes and fountains aiming into the lake from the bottom of two UFO pictures. The music moved seamlessly to:

Part 5 to the Robotfight music from the filmDune by Toto.

More waterfall fountains in the centre of the lake with slow arcing comets fired from the left and right ends of the floating firing ramp. Then several fireballs and more arcing comets fired left and right and from the central platform into the lake with some whistles as well.

Part 6 to the music Bonanza by Erich Kunzel. This began with salute-terminated tourbillon candles in the centre with barrages of multi-break firefly shells above, then shells of a kind of electric glitter. Next, whistling tourbillons from the centre and some extremely large salutes with bright rising tails. Next, lots of low breaking white comet shells and some very high rising bright fat comet candles with the comets splitting into two at the apex of their flight. Then green ball crossette candles and then the same in gold comets followed by tourbillon mines, repeated many times over. Then bombette comet candles bursting to small blue stars. Next, Salute-terminated tourbillons and firefly mines were followed by very loud crakling glittery bombette candles which got louder and louder and crazier and crazier. Then shells of gold electric comets and then huge barrages of the amazing loud crackling glittery bombettes with low breaking shells of gold glitter turning to gold fireflies. Yet more of the crazy crackling bomettes and finally candles of go-getters as the music moved seamlessly into the next segment:

Part 7 to the music Mambo by Herbert Grönemeyer. Left and right firing mines with multi-break charcoal comet shells above were followed by arcing comet candles below with silver comet bombettes at mid-level. Then shells of twinkling glitter turning to fireflies and finally firefly bombettes.

Part 8 to the music Time Warp from The Rocky Horror Picture Show by Riff Raff Columbia. This opened with bright pink-headed comet candles fired from the centre with multi-break white comet spider shells above. Then mines with purple stars, glitter and salutes followed by ball star shells and more multi-break comet spiders. Next, very fast firing ball candles in salmon and crossed comet crossette candles also. Next, multi-break charcoal spider shells with whistling tourbillon candles below. More huge multi-break charcoal comet shells and then crossette candles of orange balls with ball shells above. The segment was brought to a close with white comet multi-break spider shells followed by glittery clusters of weeping willows.

Part 9 to the music Oyster by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Very fast white ball candles with multi-break shells of flower-like tourbillons and comets above opened this segment. This theme was repeated and then several loud salutes followed by the ignition of ten red heart set-pieces in the lake moved the display to the next segment.

Part 10 to the music I'd Do Anything for Love by Meatloaf. With the heart set-pieces burning, V shaped fountains in a line opened up with slow arcing comets fired from the left and right of the ramp. The fountains increased in size with fronts of pink balls and white comets were fired behind. Then shells of comets turning to titanium salutes nad then single and double rings of titanium salutes. Next, weeping willow shells turning to silver followed by yellow-headed silver comet candles. Then small shells of fireflies, then the same but large and with glitter and then shells with tourbillons in bunches. These were followed by really nice shells with glitter and comets forming a six-pointed starfish. Then multi-break shells of weeping willow turning to silver followed by shaped-burst shells producing hearts. Next shells of small clusters of orange stars and then more of the nice starfish comet and glitter shells. Next, weeping willow shells with purple bunches of stars which I think are called grapevine shells followed by candles of crackly balls in the centre of the lake. Then some very high rising very bright ball candles and some very fast ball candles in the centre. Finally, the segment was brought to a close with three silver girandolas.

Part 11 to the music Blue Velvet by Bobby Vinton. Predictably, this segment featured and all-blue theme. This began with left right and centre firing blue ball cnadles, then in a line and with blue ball and gold comet shells above. Then five girandolas rose up and burst into blue and were followed by shells of small clusters of blue stars. Then shaped-burst shells in blue and a very loud shell detonation near ground level (photo of launch tube afterwards). Five more girandolas and were followed by flower-like tourbillon shells in gold with blue stars as well and then another five girandolas. The segment was brought to a close with barrages of blue shells and blue ball candles in the centre.

Part 12 to the music Jump by Van Halen. This began with fireballs and flights of rockets bursting to fireflies. Then crossed comet crossette candles and fast ball candles in the centre. More flights of rockets bursting to colour and fireflies followed by shells of flower-like tourbillons and comets with mines in the centre of the lake. Then very bright white high rising comet candles with more of the starfish type of shells above. Next, a period of darkness as some sort of technical problem occurred followed by mines in the centre with tourbillons and glitter turning to fireflies. Then loud whitling candles with saturn shells above, repeated several times. Then flights of rockets bursting to comets and glitter and nautic mines of tourbillons. Above these multi-break white comet spider shells and white ball candles in the centre, bringing the segment to a close.

Part 13 to the music Amigos Para Siempre by Carreras and Brightman. Bright yellow flame projectors and fast ball candles in the centre opened this final segment. Then barrages of tourbillon ring shells and shaped-burst shells with five-pointed stars surrounded by rings. Next, crossed ball candles in pink followed by gold glitter crossette comet candles and gold glitter shells above. Then multi-break spider shells and glitter shells turning to gold fireflies followed by barrages of very bright flash-break firefly shells. The pace increased with many very large multi-break weeping willow shells, turning to silver, then multi-break gold gillter shells. The final thirty seconds had the sky filled with huge barrages of multi-break weeping willow glitter frond shells with the fronds reaching all the way to the ground and then a final barrage of large salutes.

This was a very enjoyable display with a typical Weco finale of glitter frond shells. The flights of rockets were great, as were the many flower-like tourbillon and glitter shells. Lack of wind caused rather a lot of smoke accumulation and blocked out some parts of the display. The girandolas were good and overall the synchronization to the music was good. However, it appeared that the inital theme became somewhat lost during the second half of the display and there were some periods of darkness, probably due to the heavy rain the day before the display. It is becoming very difficult to predict the final result since the level of competition is extremely high this year. This was the best Weco display I've seen yet and they won the bronze and silver Jupiters in their first two appearances in Montréal.