The Čavle Neighbourhood of the Rijeka 2020 – European Capital of Culture (ECoC) project hosted an event dubbed the Bell-ringer’s Symphony! The event took place on Friday, 23 August at the Croatian Homeland War Veterans’ Square in the municipality of Čavle. This unique musical medley and a sort of a battle of drummers and bell-ringers was jointly showcased by the Karlovac Drummers and the Grobnik Bell-ringers (Dondolaši), in what was their first-ever musical cooperation. It was an interesting experiment in movement and sound, as well as a blend of traditional and contemporary culture.
The Grobnik Bell-ringers and the Karlovac Drummers entered the municipality of Čavle on Friday, led by maestro Zoran Majstorović in a battle of rhythms wherein no one was harmed in any way, shape or form. Quite the contrary, it was a win-win situation for all the participants and one could safely say that it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. It was already the second rehearsal for the upcoming Neighbourhoods Festival in 2020 wherein Čavle will be one of the 27 Neighbourhoods, a flagship of the Rijeka 2020 – ECoC project. As their contribution to the event, they are preparing a show dubbed The Bell-ringer’s Symphony. Judging by the half-hour of pulsating rhythmic bell-ringing sounds, complemented by the joint choreography of the Grobnik Bell-ringers and the Karlovac Drummers, this unique event will truly be a sight to behold next year.
