EARLY DAYS
CP: Hearing you sing, you
gentlemen sound as if you sung together for centuries. Did you always
sound so good? Could you tell us a bit about your early days?
RV: Thank
you. Klapa 'Ragusavecchia' was formed in
the Fall of 1998 when several Dalmatian folk-song enthusiasts, headed by Maro Saulović and Viktor Kužnin from Cavtat, endeavored to engage their
musical talents in klapa-style singing.
CP: We're surely glad they did
that. Would you say that, at the time, you were, at lest theoretically
speaking,
'equipped' for the challenges that such endeavors surely must bring on?
RV:
Well, speaking theoretically or otherwise, we were 'equipped' with nothing
but desire to sing klapa-style polyphony. You could say we knowingly ventured into
the world of challenges.
'Klapa
is a name commonly given to
an five to eight-member ensemble
that performs primarily
polyphonic Dalmatian folk-songs'
CP: For those
who are not acquinted with klapa-style songs, could you briefly tell us
what klapa is?
RV: Sure.
Klapa is a name commonly given to a five
to eight member ensemble that performs primarily polyphonic Dalmatian
folk songs. Occasionally a klapa will perform other songs but those are
by rule interpreted in the specific klapa-style. Also, while most klapas
sing a cappella , some occasionally incorporate string instruments such
as guitar, mandolin, etc. into their songs. Ensembles can be all male,
all female or, less commonly, mixed.
CP: Now, back
to challenges you had to face. What carried you through? I mean, besides
reveling in klapa-style polyphonic sounds.
RV: To be quite honest with you, we just
played a chord after the other, did a performance after a performance
. . . It helped that we also had a clear goal in mind: to be able to
sing a true song.
CP: A
'true'
song?
RV: Yes. A true, genuine, uncorrupted song
which one could love 'from one's soul' -- with one's whole heart and
soul . . .
CP: I see. Now, to slightly digress. Why Ragusavecchia?
RV:
Well, we knew we wanted to honor the place that we come from. Taking
the town's old name was an obvious way to do that.
'We
decided to go with
Ragusavecchia (the old Ragusa)
as this
is the name literally imbued
with the historical importance
the town of Cavtat has'
CP:
Cavtat had a few names throughout history . . .
RV: True, we could have chosen to call
ourselves Epidaurus, or Civitus Vetus. But we decided to go with
Ragusavecchia (the old Ragusa) as this is
the name literally imbued with the historical importance the town of
Cavtat has, this little town of ours that we love 'from our souls .
. .'
CP: OK. So, we have the name, we have the
desire to sing a 'true' song, we have the crew of enthusiasts . .
.
RV: The original crew, that is. You see,
and this is quite common when it comes to klapa-ensembles, thus far some twenty
singers went through Ragusavecchia. Every one of them was important in
his own right, each one brought something special to the developing
sound that is now
the well recognizable timbre of Ragusavecchia.
TODAY
CP: Today's Ragusavecchia has eight members. Is that right?
RV: Yes.
Today's klapa numbers eight:
Rikard Kužnin (tenor, contrabass, journalist at Dubrovacki list), Ivica
Puljić (2nd tenor, 2nd mandoline,journalist at Radio Dubrovnik), Nikša
Stahor (2. tenor, Chief Officer in the Organized Crime Prevention Unit
of the Dubrovnik Custom’s Bureau), Maro Saulović (Baritone, 2nd
mandoline, Director at a travel agency ‘Gulliver’, Viktor Kužnin
(Baritone, 1st mandoline, an entrepreneur), Nikša Matičević (Bass,
Guitar, boatmaster, the eldest member of Ragusavecchia), Marko Šilje
(2nd bass, Mandola, tax auditor), Vedran Ivanković (Ragusavecchia's
manager, 2nd Bass, Guitar, also trains and oversees the vocal talent at
Folklore Ansamble Linđo from Dubrovnik).
CP: We know
most klapas have outsourced managers, some don't. How about you guys?
RV: For
the last five years, until just recently, we've also had one.
'.
. . to take on the challenge
and rely on only ourselves. . .'
CP: Are you
now looking for one or . . .?
RV:
No, we actually decided to take on the challenge and rely on only
ourselves for all musical and
performance arrangements.
CP: How come?
What prompted the decision?
RV:
While we are thankful for all the guidance by the schooled musicians, we
are also well aware of the fact that no vocal technique can substitute
the sentiment. And this is something we already have. So we decided to
manage ourselves, perhaps egotistically enjoying all that we do.
CP: Was there
a difference in sound after you decided on being self-managed, did you
characteristic timbre change?
RV: We are
aware of our shortcomings and
imperfections but are not very concerned with them. Probably had them
and still do, though to a significantly lesser degree. Rather than
worrying about such technical aspects of performance, if you will, we
always thought it more important to
perform for our audience the 'true' song,
to share with them the very same sound that we enjoy so much and
which we love
‘from our souls'.
CP:
Reactions?
RV: Interestingly, the moment we started
thinking we were enough unto ourselves and started to perform with this
frame of mind, was the moment audience really accepted us. Public
recognition and awards followed.
THE DYNAMICS OF PRACTICE
'When it comes to the klapa-style songs,
there can be no routine'
CP: How about
giving us a behind-the-scenes look. Is there a specific routine you
follow in practices?
RV: When it comes to the klapa-style songs,
there can be no routine. Namely, the very meaning of singing a
Dalmatian folk song is the expression of one’s sentiments. If that
expression becomes a routine, than something is amiss. This might sound
weird to you, but there is more of a routine during performances than
during the practices.
CP:
What is one of your practice sessions like?
RV:
In our practice sessions we sing
only to ourselves and are quite content when we're able to produce a
sound that simply sounds good. From
the technical point of view, the session would consist of a warm up (20 min),
the work on the new songs (30 min), and the rework on the previously
‘read’ songs (60 min).
CP: I am curious. I mean, there has got to be hundreds of songs to chose
from. And that's not counting the new hits which you also sometimes
incorporate in your performances. How do you chose the songs?
RV: Really, it's strictly based on the
feeling we get while we sing them. If a song doesn't ‘sit’ right with
us, we quickly move on to another. In any case, we only sing those with a particular meaning.
THE MOST DIFFICULT CHALLENGE
'The
degree of harmony among the personalities
within the ensemble greatly impacts the quality of sound'
CP: What was the most difficult challenge
you had to tackle?
RV:
The most difficult thing was getting used
to one another. We do more than 200 public performances per year and
that means spending a whole lot of time together. We're talking about
eight different personalities here. It took a good while before we
learned how to best work with one another, to think like a family, to
really click. There is no mystery in the fact that the degree of harmony
among the personalities within the ensemble greatly impacts the quality of
sound.
REPERTOIRE
'We
can do an all-night concert
at the moment's notice'
CP: Arguably, the longer an ensemble,
a klapa, performs, the more songs they're expected to have under
their belt. Now, after Ragusavecchia has been performing for several years, how big is
your repertoire?
RV: We have some 100 songs in our repertoire.
Moreover, we can do an all night concert (circa 2 hours) consisting of
folk songs and the new Croatian hits (in klapa-style) at the moment's notice.
CP: When it
comes to your music - the concerts you do - could you tell us your
preferences in terms of themes of the songs you chose to perform?
RV: Honestly, we best like songs
with themes about our homeland. After all, we first became known for our
interpretation of
the song literally: “Croatia, I love you from my soul; translation
proper. "Croatia, I love you with all of my heart".
CP: Some klapas prefer to sing a cappella, some again accompany their voices with
instrumental melodies. What can those who never previously attended your
concert expect?
RV: Generally, half of the concert we sing
a cappella, and the other half with instrumental back up (7
instruments).
FESTIVALS AND DISCOGRAPHY
CP: Omiš Festival is the best known and respected competition for Dalmatian
klapas. Has Ragusavecchia performed before the audiences at Omiš?
RV: Yes, we have. Three times, actually.
Won third place on the most
respected
klapa-festival.
Published album:
"Iz duše te ljubim"
CP: We know
you get rated by the panel of judges as well as the audience. How did
you fare?
RV: Our debut was quite successful,
really. We won the third place. Last year, in the Finals Evening,
we were ranked 10th best by the
panel of judges, and 5th best respectively by the popular vote.
CP: Congratulations! That's quite
something. Tell us, we hear Ragusavecchia also has its CD out. Is this
right?
RV: Yes, that is right. At the end of February, 2004, publishing
house “Orfej” published our first album titled “Iz Duše te ljubim”.
CP:
Is there a song on that album you would single out?
RV:
Although, naturally, we do feel we gave it our all in every song on the
album, one of them still might stand out -- “Croatio iz duše te ljubim”,
literally: “Croatia, I love you from my soul; translation proper.
"Croatia, I love you with all of my heart".
CP: This song
is rather well known to the lovers of klapa-style music. Is it true it
was also nominated for one of the prestigious awards?
RV: Well, we're quite pleased to say that
it was nominated for the best overall klapa-type song in 2004.
CP: Besides Omiš, could you tell our
readers where else they could enjoy some good klapa-style music?
RV: Glad you asked this question. Namely,
we organize a yearly gathering of the
best Croatian klapas right here in Cavtat. It's quite an event. It starts on the first
Saturday of every September and runs for three days.
CP: This
has got to be highly competitive. . .
RV: Au
contraire. People, that is, performers and audiences alike, find
this festival quite amusing. The fact is, it's interesting and inviting
precisely because it’s not driven by quest for high honors or trying to be a better
performer than some other klapa, but by simple joy of singing of the
Dalmatian songs.
CP:
For the good times sake?
RV:
For the good times sake. During this time, Cavtat
constantly echoes with song and good vibe.
CP: Audiences
must love this . . .
RV:
Well, it may not be too bold to claim that among the Dalmatian folk-song lovers
you'll hardly find one who doesn't enjoy a sip or two of some fine wine
all while being serenaded by some of the country's best klapas.
TOMORROW
CP: You have achieved quite a success as a
klapa-ensemble. Where do you see yourselves taking Ragusavecchia?
RV: For the first
while, we've plans to
just ready a whole
lot of new repertoire.
Ragusavecchia has an all-night
concert:
-Front of sv. Vlaho [St. Blaise]
church -
-
December 29, 2004' -
CP:
Any live performances?
RV: We
actually just learned that we’re invited to do an
all-night concert on the steps of St. Blaise [a church located in one of the Dubrovnik's
old-town's squares] on December 29th.
CP:
Certainly not a small honor. How about concerts outside the county,
perhaps even outside Croatia?
RV:
We have had a few notable performances throughout Europe already and
would now very much like to perform before the audiences in overseas countries like Australia or
the US.
CP: Australia or the US? Do
you think you would enough folks interested
in hearing Dalmatian klapa-style songs in those distant countries?
RV:
Most certainly. Namely, there is a large number of Croatians living in
those countries. It'd be a wonderful thing to have the opportunity to
sing for them their songs, using
the tunes they well know and love and, at least for a few brief moments,
take them back to
their homeland, to Croatia.
CONTACT
CP:
We hope the Croatian communities abroad in Australia and the US would
soon get their chance to hear you perform. Is there
a number or an address at which your fans and other interested parties could
contact you?
RV: Yes, we welcome being contacted.
Interested parties can do so by:
phone (mobile):
385.91.456.0122,
or by
email:
rikard.kuznin@du.htnet.hr.
Our
web pages are in making and will soon be
available.
CP: Thank you for your time and for this insightful conversation.
All the best in
your future endeavors!
RV: Thank
you.