Sparks vote goes to finale favourite

An old favourite has scooped the vote for the finale music at the annual Sparks concert.

The spectacular outdoor concert will be held for the 36th time on 16 February in North Hagley Park as part of Christchurch City Council’s SummerTimes events programme.

The Sparks concert is on 16 February.

For the first time in the event’s history, Christchurch residents were given the chance to choose the music played by the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra while pyrotechnics explode above the crowd.

Online voting closed this morning and there was a clear winner after about 400 people made their choice.

Tchaichovsky’s 1812 Overture, which is the classic finale soundtrack for Sparks, won the highest number of votes by a large margin, with the Superman theme music, composed by John Williams, in second place.

The other two options were Jupiter, by Gustav Holst, and Mussorgsky’s A Night on the Bare Mountain (also known as Night on Bald Mountain).

The result means Sparks will wrap up in traditional style with fireworks from Fireworks Professionals choreographed to the rousing sounds of the booming 1812 Overture.

Council Manager of Events and Arts Karena Finnie says it’s fantastic that so many people voted. “We were really keen to make sure the music played at the end of the concert was the people’s choice and now we know that the 1812 Overture really is a crowd favourite, and for good reason. ”