6 Dec 2018

Christchurch residents will for the first time get to choose the soundtrack for the fireworks finale at the annual Sparks concert.

Tchaichovsky’s rousing 1812 Overture – complete with booming cannons - is probably the most well-known closing music played while pyrotechnics explode above the crowd.

The Sparks concert is on February 16.

The public will get to choose the music for the Sparks fireworks finale this year.

But this time, Christchurch City Council and the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra (CSO) are giving people the chance to vote online for which piece the orchestra should perform near the end of the spectacular outdoor concert, which will be held on 16 February in North Hagley Park.

It's the first time in the event's 35-year history that people have been given the opportunity to select a song.

They can opt for faithful favourite the 1812 Overture, or choose one of three other tracks; Jupiter by Gustav Holst, the theme music from the Superman movie by John Williams, or Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky’s A Night on the Bare Mountain (also known as Night on Bald Mountain)  which featured in the soundtrack to Disney’s animated Fantasia film (1940).

Council Manager of Events and Arts Karena Finnie says the public vote means people will be able to contribute to the atmosphere of the hugely popular SummerTimes event.

“We know that Sparks is one of our most-loved Council events and it's great that our community will feel part of it and have a bit of input into how the night unfolds. Some people might want to stick with tradition and others will be keen to try something new. It will be interesting to see the results.

"We also have a number of other exciting additions to Sparks that we're looking forward to unveiling.”

Voting will open online through the Sparks Facebook event page from today and people will have one week (until Friday 14 December) to vote for their preferred track. The fireworks will be provided by Fireworks Professionals and choreographed to the music that wins the most votes.

CSO Chief Executive Gretchen La Roche says the idea came from a desire to keep things fresh for the concert's 36th outing.

"We just thought it would be really fun this year to give people the opportunity to let us know what piece they would most like to hear played. This is totally democracy in action."

The four options were chosen in collaboration with Fireworks Professionals. Mrs La Roche says they are very different pieces of music but she loves them all. 

"It's an eclectic mix, but the orchestra would be thrilled to play any one of these pieces of music because they're all brilliant. We're pretty excited to give the vote a go this year and see what people pick. Even though Sparks has a long history, its popularity seems to be building. The community really embraces it and it's an event that everyone can feel proud of."