Pyrotechnics poised, Boston ready to rumble
Art Rozzi is an artist who uses the sky as his canvas and a mixture of gunpowder for paint. In his explosive medium, timing is everything.
If all goes right, Rozzi will issue a command at 10:35 tonight that sends a dozen 6-inch shells screaming 700 feet over the Charles River, the first booming volley of one of the most tightly synchronized fireworks shows ever produced here.
As the first red, white, and blue chrysanthemum-designed bursts light up the sky, the soundtrack of patriotic marches and other songs will kick off a 21-minute marvel that would have been impossible a few years ago for any pyrotechnic display, according to industry observers.
“It will be the most complicated show we’ve ever done,’’ said Rozzi, the choreographer of the display and a member of the fourth generation of Ohio-based Rozzi Famous Fireworks, which helped popularize pyrotechnics in the United States after its founding in the late 1800s.
This year’s Independence Day show will synchronize the firing of 25,000 pounds of fireworks to one-hundredth of a second - 10 times more precise than in past years - with the nine songs that will blare across the Esplanade.
“We can now match notes of the music,’’ said Joe Rozzi, another family member who helped design the show.
The weather is expected to cooperate, with the forecast calling for a chance of scattered midday storms but clearing for the evening extravaganza.
Planning for the Boston show began months ago when the Rozzis - this is the family’s first time designing Boston’s fireworks show - and local officials selected the music and began deciding how to spend the hundreds of thousands of dollars provided by private donors. Neither the Rozzis nor local officials would disclose their exact budget.
They downloaded the soundtrack onto a specially designed computer system and began the time-consuming work of matching their arsenal of Roman Candles, Comets, Meteors, Spinning Wheels, and other fireworks with the rhythm of the music.
“You judge what to use by the feel of the music,’’ Art Rozzi said. “You have to know what you’ve got. You have to know if you’re going to shoot a lot or a little. And you have to keep in mind the finale, so you’re not giving anything away.’’
Their primary tools haven’t changed much since the ancient Chinese developed fireworks. They work with flash powder and gunpowder.
The flash powder - a blend of potassium chlorate, sulfur, and aluminum - produces the loud bangs, color, and starbursts. The gunpowder powers the launch and the explosion, with the help of time-delay fuses.
What’s new in recent years in the US fireworks business, which has more than doubled in size over the past decade, is the sophistication of the shells, said Julie Heckman, executive director of the American Pyrotechnics Association.
“The colors are a lot more vibrant now,’’ said Heckman, adding that fireworks are legally sold in all but five states - they’re still banned in Massachusetts - and last year earned $940 million in revenue. “It’s not just red, white, silver, gold, and green, the mainstays for years. We’re seeing a softer palate of colors, such as yellows, lime green, lavenders, pinks, oranges. That allows the industry to be a lot more creative.’’
The new shells also allow for innovative shapes that have become increasingly common in recent years. They include effects that look like the planet Saturn and so-called brocade chrysanthemums, which sparkle as they slowly descend in a floral pattern. This year, the Rozzis will include a burst that resembles a certain baseball team’s cap, while others are experimenting with shells that spell words.
Paul McKinley, president of MagicFire, a Natick fireworks company that sells computer chips and other equipment used by pyrotechnicians, compares modern fireworks shows to the ballet.
“The rules have changed,’’ he said. “With faster computers that can now control multiple fireworks shells in different locations at different times, everything can be precise, almost perfectly in sync with the music, like a dancer moving to music.’’
Boston’s production tonight is one of about 14,000 fireworks shows around the country, but with 500,000 people expected on the Esplanade and a national TV audience of up to 8 million, it’s considered among the most prestigious.
Which is one reason that it has been such a stressful week for the Rozzis, who have long sought the Boston contract.
They allotted 12 days to unload their tractor-trailers, set up three barges, and load some 15,000 shells into 5,000 mortar tubes. Much of their preparation has been slowed by the constant rain. (The show could still go on tonight if it rains, organizers of the event say, although lightning or high winds would create unsafe conditions for fireworks.)
“This is one of the premier shows in the country,’’ Art Rozzi said. “We’ll get it done.’’
David Abel can be reached at dabel@globe.com. 