Fireworks, namely the art to create colorful fire by combining burner components, are the most amazing expression of religious, popular and carnivalesque feasts.
During the Dark Ages, the “black powder” was used for the prodigious scary effects by the madieval holy drama as infernal scenes and demons in order to terrorize the peoples.
But it is during the XVI century – from holy dramas to Royal court - that fireworks enters amongst the stage show techniques becoming the main attraction of big events during the baroque age.
“With genius and visual arts you can trick the sight in order to stun” as Gian Lorenzo Bernini said.
On ‘600 fireworks became an irreplaceable attraction in every pubblic feasts: coronations, pontiff placement, royal birthdays, peace conventions and to wellcome illustrious guests. The technical abilities to perform firework shows quickly improved and workplaces became bigger and bigger and more complicated so to make Catherine Wheels with 6.000 fountains placed on scaffoldings so big to require the work of specialized carpenters and wood workers.
The work that Mr. Valerio Festi has started 25 years ago by designing entire fireworks shows and by writing the scores for music concerts, has the purpose to keep this pyrotechnics art in wich many of the most interesting artists of the Renaissance and Baroque age had succeded.
With the re-invention of classic pyrotechnics, Studio Festi regains the composition’s fantasy of a kind of art that nowadays is just reducing itself to the monotony of industrial manufacturing.
Every pyrotechnics elements of Studio Festi shows are made ad hoc on particular specifics by the most skilled craftsmen and the best world pros on the field.
Confident of our technical and artistic skills we have brought our masterpieces -that is so scenically strong and amazing- to the attention of contemporary artists.
Mr Valerio Festi has also co-operated with the most important contemporary music composers, by make them write Music For Elements: from Luciano Berio to Bertrand Boss, as well as Lorenzo Ferrero ( but even with Ennio Morricone to compose “Musiche per Acqua”).
Besides we have also persuaded music directors to conduct “Concerti per fuochi d’artificio”such as Claudio Abbado with Teatro alla Scala Orchestra at the Arena Napoleonica, Milan; Zubin Metha with the Maggio Musicale Orchestra of Siena; Gavazzeni with the Musicus Concentus Orchestra at Giardini di Boboli of Firenze; until the last, recent episode of “Concerto per fuochi d’artificio” made by Santa Cecilia Orchestra, conducted by Chung Myung-whun, in San Pietro square at Vaticano City in occasion of the inauguration of the renovated front of San Pietro Basilica.
In every such occasions the music has been performed live, with the accompaniment of the pyrotechnic score that creates changing fantasies on beautiful world-famous buildings.
The art of Valerio Festi -unique around the world- has allowed the improving of pyrotechnic techniques to the stage of making them interact with architectural and natural spaces.
The experience reached during the years brought us to the perfection of our shows and to faultless pyrotechnic scores, that guarantee the synchronization between music and fires, between musical phrases and colored flares.
Due to this experience Valerio Festi fireworks are the heirs of Baroque pyrotechnics since they have been improved in brilliance of colors and chromatic and rhythmic precision.
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