Every year for 64 years, a brass band festival has been held in the mountains of western Serbia in the town of Guča. Balkan brass music is a very specific style. It is fast, energetic and loud. And its popularity is not diminishing even among young people. Thanks to the films of Emir Kusturica and the music of Goran Bregovic, the popularity of this style has crossed the borders of the former Yugoslavia and the atmosphere of the festival has become an international phenomenon.
Up to 600,000 visitors, orchestras, begging Roma families, traditional food vendors and stallholders arrive in the peaceful mountain town for several days. The gardens of the locals turn into campsites and, to the chagrin of the year-round guests, prices in restaurants rise several times.
A few years ago, my friend Radovan decided to look for his Serbian half of his identity, left the peaceful intellectual level of Prague and bought a dilapidated house in a secluded spot in the Serbian mountains. You can easily recognize him in the photos, he looks more and more like an Orthodox pop. Coincidentally, his seclusion is in the hills above the town of Guča. A visit to the festival and Radovan's friend is thus a bit more authentic because, apart from listening to the blaring trumpets and eating grilled meat and cabbage, there are no visits from all his relatives and local friends. That means lots of homemade fruit spirits, more grilled meats and more spirits. The hot part of the day is spent cooling the hangover in a nearby dam, then spirits again and a concert in the evening. And so on and on for several days.
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