IdFLQ - GERMANY

Well tonight was the last competitor for this year's fireworks competition (International des Feux Loto-Quebec) And it was really incredible! There was a consistent display of fireworks both low and high with a couple of lower moments, but overall you could see this display from a fair distance and it never lost my attention.

Their music was mostly classic in nature, although they did not stick to only German composers. The opening piece was an excerpt of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in d minor - one of my all time favourite classical pieces, and certainly one of the most recognized pipe organ peices by him or any other composer. It's a heavy piece, very much at ease next to the bombastic accompaniment of Fireworks. And what was even more interesting to me was an excerpt from Romeo and Juliet by Prokofiev (The Duke's Command) that I felt was missing from France's display, this past Saturday; although it was not my preferred OSM rendition, it was played nonetheless. The music continues along it's classical bent, and included Offenbach's 'Galop' from Orpheus in the Underworld (you know... the music you always hear when French 'Ladies' are dancing the Can-Can) which was a hit with Didier and two other French guests. And then th music changed into more contemporary instrumental peices, must enjoyable for me was some of Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells. It's got a slightly eerie feeling (he also well know as the composer for the music to the movie The Exorcist) and that too lent itself well to the pyrotechnics.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say these were my favourites. Not because they were the biggest, or the loudest, or the most original (see Hon Kong's '2 0 0 8' fireworks) but because for me they had the full package: Great music that stood out for me as not being the 'Pop' and current, rather simply selecting music that would go well with the fireworks and be able to hold it's own. They were consistent in their display fully using the sky for their canvas. Great colours and interesting individual sizes and shapes. Well choreographed and synchronized to the music. And finally their Finale was easy to spot (You know some times you're like.. 'Is this it? is this the Finale? no wait, This is it. Is it?) ... and the real test for me... I actually clapped at the end. :-)

Ok enough yammering... here's some pics...

And now... my final tally on this year's competition...


GOLD: Germany
SILVER: USA
BRONZE: England

HONOURABLE MENTION: Canada

And then you have...
Hong Kong
France
Spain
Mexico

Come back on Saturday night to see if I was even at all remotely close.