Le Mondial SAQ 2001
Montréal International Fireworks Competition Report

Australia Fireworks Tour Wednesday July 25^th, 2001

Foti's International Fireworks Pty., designed by Fortunato Foti, FireOne firing, dedicated to the memory of Celestino Foti

"In keeping with its name, the Mondial SAQ is an international competition that groups together participants from many countries. We wanted spectators of the Mondial SAQ to fully appreciate the unique character of such a meeting of countries," explained Fortunato Foti, choreographer and designer of the show Fireworks Tour. "For this reason, we decided to create the Fireworks Tour show, which will not miss a beat in delivering through music and colours the special character of international destinations."

During this richly colourful trip, music will transport Mondial SAQ spectators to the four corners of the world. Songs such as Africa by the group Toto, Buenos Aires sung by Madonna, Viva Las Vegas by Elvis Presley and New York New York by Frank Sinatra will float on the air and carry viewers towards the multiple destinations represented by the fireworks show. Foti International Fireworks will also give a special nod to the Montréal Fireworks Competition as it has chosen Je reviendrai à Montréal by Robert Charlebois.

This display is dedicated to Celestino Foti, the Foti family patriarch, who died on the 18^th June 2001. Some fireworks in this display were handmade by Celestino. He was a Master pyrotechnician for whom fireworks were a passion. He continued making fireworks almost to the day he died. at the age of 88 years old.

Several days of record-breaking heat and humidity gave way to a perfect summer's evening with low humidity, clear skies and temperatures a comfortable 25°C - the perfect setting for the final entrant in this year's competition. For their second appearance here, Foti's promised a strongly themed display with a tour around the world with fireworks. Using 90 FireOne firing modules, it also promised to be one of the most complex displays of this year's competition.

Part 1 to the music Get Away by Lenny Kravitz. The sound of jets taking off opened the display and, after a dramatic pause, barrages of titanium salutes lit up the sky. These were followed by shells of salute-terminated tourbillons and salute candles below. Next, shells with pistils of tourbillons and comets and then shells of crackling comets with mines below. These were followed by shells of red go-getters with green mines below. Then shells of green go-getters followed by a repeating sequence of bombettes of crossettes with go-getter shells above. Next, shells of silver comets with mines of blue stars and gold comets below and then fantastic shells of thick silver go-getter comets and shells with crackling pistils as the music moved seamlessly to:

Part 2 to the music Come Fly With Me by Frank Sinatra. More shells of go-getters with shells of strobe-stars above and crossed pale gold glitter candles below were followed by shells of blue stars turning to crackle and then shells of tourbillons and go-getters. Then whistles and strobe-star shells followed by shells of tourbillons and strobes as the music moved seamlessly to:

Part 3 to the music I go to Rio by Peter Allen. Shells of thick white comets with crossed comet candles below were followed by shells of comets turning to strobes with bombette candles below and huge shells of thick comets above. These were followed by big shells of comets and blue stars followed by crackling charcoal comet shells and lower level shells of bright lemon-yellow photoflash.

Part 4 to the music Buenos Aires by Madonna. Charcoal comet bombettes with shells of charcoal comets and blue stars above were followed by shells of lemon-yellow strobe-stars. These were followed by star-headed meteor comet candles with shells of comets turning to stars and then to silver kamuro comets above. Barrages of shells of the bright photoflash were followed by crossed mines of stars and crackle. Next, blue star shells and left and right angled star candles below followed by a barrage of large shells above and a front of multi-coloured mines. The sound of jets taking off was augmented by flights of silver girandolas and then the music continued with:

Part 5 to the music New York by Frank Sinatra. Steeply crossing comet candles in pale gold firefly comets were augmented by charcoal comet bombettes and then shells of charcoal comet crossettes. These were then followed by shells of silver comet crossettes with crossed blue and gold glitter mines below and blue bombette candles. Next shells of white strobe stars, followed by larger and higher and then in pale green strobes followed by multi-breaks bursting to clusters of colour stars with bombettes below. Next, titanium salutes and shells with titanium-laced burst charges and barrages of the multi-break colour cluster shells. These were followed by charcoal comet mines with shells of fast strobes and crackle above. The pace increased as my pencil gave out for a time whilst large shells with pistils burst above. The intensity increased with sky filling volleys of bright silver kamuro shells with some really huge ones, the segment coming to a close with the sky filled and a front of bright mines below.

Part 6 to the music Je reviendrai à Montréal by Robert Charlebois. The crowd cheered as the popular song from the well known local artist was illuminated by nautic fountains and gold nautic strobes. Then shells of lemon-yellow strobes with the same in mines. These continued and then the colour changed to pale green, again in shells and mines. More nautic strobes were fired into the lake as the colours shifted to vivid orange, again in mines and shells. More nautic strobes and more strobes in mines and shells, this time in purple, bringing the segment to a close.

Part 7 to the music Viva Las Vegas by Elvis Presley. Fat comets left, right and up were followed by star-headed comets bursting to colour bombettes with multibreak shells of clusters of colour above. These were followed by crossed comet candles below and then shells of strobes above. Next, multi colour changing shells followed by shells of charcoal comets and multibreak shells of colour clusters. These were followed by barrages of shells of crossing-stars. Then shells of glittering pistils with colour stars and comet candles below. The segment came to a close with huge shells of comets with pistils and shells of bright crossette stars.

Part 8 to the music Slow boat to China by The Platters. The sound of foghorns was heard as a line of fireballs erupted in the centre. Then fans of comets from the centre were followed by shaped burst shells above in spirals, what appeared to be a face with a hat, shamrocks, double concentric hearts, rings of comets with centre star pistils. More shapes with figure eights, bowties, multiple rings in three or more colours, more rings of comets with pistils, triple rings. These were followed by silver kamuro shells, getting larger and larger, with silver strobe shells at a lower level and huge silver kamuros above, the segment coming to a close as the silver kamuros trailed to the lake.

Part 9 to the music Istanbul (not Constantinople) by They Might Be Giants. The sound of a train, presumably the Orient Express was augmented by charcoal comet mines in time to the chuffing of the train. Then the music began as bombette comet candles were followed by charcoal comet candles and shells of whistling tourbillons turning to strobes. Then fans of comets and candles of whistling serpents with shells of silver glitter above and then high and medium height shells of rich gold glitter. These were followed by more glitter shells and mines of charcoal comets below. More shells of gold glitter, the segment coming to a close with more whistling tourbillons and mines.

Part 10 to the music Africa by Toto. This began with crossed star mines with shells of comets to stars above. Then mines in fans of three followed by dazzling star candles with more shells of comets to stars above. These were followed by shells of colour stars turning to crackle followed by kamuro and brocade shells. Barrages of these were fired, filling the sky and bringing the segment to a close.

Part 11 to the music Arrivederci Roma by Dean Martin. Nautic fountains and strobes filled the lake as a line of groups of six gold fountains in a starfish shape opened up. The nautic fountains shot comets into the air as the ground-based groups of six fountains turned to silver. Then the nautic strobes appeared to shoot clusters of stars into the air. Above these, shells of brocade turning to silver, followed by shells of brocade turning to blue and then shells of willow comets with rising tails turning to blue. These were followed by willow comet shells turning to purple with crossed strobe mines following below and then strobe shells above. Then more of the willow comet shells turning to colour stars followed by brocade shells turning to colour, the segment coming to a close with really huge brocade shells.

Part 12 to the music Moscow by Ghengis Khan. Dazzling bright red-headed comet candles, an appropriate colour for the music were followed by dazzling red star candles. Then crossette comets and shells with a ring of stars of one colour and five bright stars forming the centre in a contrasting colour. Then shells of the dazzling star headed comets followed my bombettes below, fans of comet candles, mines and then crossed comet candles. These were followed by multibreak shells breaking to clusters of stars, then barrages of shells of glittering comets, bringing the segment to a close together with a front of glitter mines.

Part 13 to the music I love Paris by Ella Fitzgerald. Bright pink strobes on the centre control room and nautic strobes in the same colour in the lake were followed by a large set-piece in silver glitter forming the shape of the Eiffel Tower, to gasps from the crowd. Silver kamuro shells were fired above this as the Eiffel Tower shot sparks from the top. More silver kamuros shells and crossette kamuro comet shells in silver were followed by shells with blue pistils and silver kamuro comets around. More of these huge pistil and kamuro shells were followed by dazzling orange crossed ball candles with orange shells above. Then the same in lemon-yellow dazzling candles. These were followed by shells of stars which turned to glittering kamuro comets. Barrages of these brought the segment to a close.

Part 14 to the music Barcelona by Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Cabelle. This began with large glitter mines with the same in shells above and the lake filled with nautic strobes. Then criss-crossed mines of blue stars and glitter with star shells above and star candles followed by bright green shells above and shells of multi colour clusters above followed by high kamuro shells. These were followed by shells of colour stars and comets with huge stars turning to kamuro comet shells above. Then shells of silver turning to comets. These were followed by mines of whistling tourbillons and huge shells with pistils and kamuros. These were followed by gold glitter shells, the segment coming to a close with more of these with blue stars as well.

Part 15 to the music A Foggy day in London by Frank Sinatra & Willie Nelson. Fireballs erupted to the sound of foghorns. The music then began with crossed candles with bombettes of silver crackle with the same in shells above with comets. Then shells of charcoal comets ending in silver crackle followed by shells of crossing-stars. Then rising tail shells bursting to silver with green candles below followed by huge shells of silver crossette comets, bringing the segment to a close.

Part 16 to the music I still call Australia home by The Australian Boys & Girls Choir. A line of gold fountains lit up along the lake. These then grew higher and turned to silver as crossed mines fired behind with shells of colour stars and pale gold firefly comet pistils above. Then shells in the shape of hears and more shells of stars with gold firefly comet pistils. These were followed by nautic strobes, which ended up shooting stars up. Above these barrages of multi colour shells, shells with starfish comet pistils. The pace increased with sky filling barrages of shells, barrages of titanium salutes and enormous shells of stars and comets, fronts of mines, the pace was too great to take notes so I just enjoyed the spectacle, the display coming to a close with a final barrage of titanium salutes, to cheers from the crowd.

This was a fantastic display which had a theme which flowed well throughout the display. The special effects, such as train noises, jets taking off and boat horns were effective in linking the display together, especially as they were augmented by appropriate fireworks. There was some fantastic product used, most notably the brilliant strobes, both nautical and in mines/shells. The colours of the strobes from brilliant white, through lemon-yellow, orange, green and purple were fabulous. Also notable were the brilliant silver kamuro shells. Good use was made of the lake and the three levels of the display (low, medium height and high) were used appropriately. The synchronization was excellent throughout, except in one tiny spot where the music stopped just in advance of the fireworks. Because the display was so good, one other tiny criticism is that some of the music segments were cut to hard in a couple of spots, whereas in other places the transitions were more seamless. All in all, an excellent and artistic display which surely deserves to bring our Antipodean friends to the winners' podium on Saturday. Due to the problems with my pencil, I had to resort to writing my notes with a pen, which lead to portions of them being difficult to read, so I feel I didn't quite do this complex show justice.

Thanks to the public relations people of La Ronde for the official press release material, shown in white.