An artistic pyromusical
Ignis Brunensis is a fireworks competition held in Brno, South Moravia, at the end of May or beginning of June. Its name means “Fire of Brno”. The first show was held in 1998, but at that time it was only a national competition. It was created in cooperation with Ivan Martinek, a chemical engineer from Pardubice, and Petr Scherhaufer, a theater director and producer. Each performance conveyed a different story and emotions. The key to their professionalism was that they loved their creations and respected the audience.
We could see how simple fireworks were transformed into pyromusicals by the vision of the artists. They drew inspiration from the historical past, culture and national values of the country and city and did everything they could to convey this to the audience in an artistic way. The show developed into an international competition in 2003 with an average of 4-5 competitors. Fireworks designer Ivan Martinek created the last show in 2022. He passed away in November 2023, but he had a great influence on the show, which continues to be created following his vision.
This year, the Regiojet Ignis Brunensis, a competition for the best artistic pyrotechnicians, took place again at Špilberk Castle and Brno Lake. This year’s digital drone show, Ignis Drone Swow, tells the story of the city of Brno with a record 300 drones. The event lasts about two weeks and each fireworks display lasts 22 minutes, the music of which is broadcast by the local radio station, Radio Krokodýl. Around two hundred thousand people (half of the population of Brno) take part in the event’s programs.
The Brno dock and lake provided a unique atmosphere to create the mood of the show. It was amazing how the drones and fireworks reflected on the water of the lake. The show was impressive. Seeing how the individual digital and later pyrotechnic elements turned into a coherent, interesting and artistic performance.
“The key to the mystery of a great artist is that for reasons unknown, he will give away his energies and his life just to make sure that one note follows another… and leaves us with the feeling that something is right in the world.”
– Leonard Bernstein