By Reuben Dhanaraj
The Lights dimmed. The crowd hushed in anticipation. 2 men walked onto the stage, and in a matter of seconds, enthralled and dazzled by their sheer musical brilliance, the audience fell into a spell.
Luka Šulić and Stjepan Hauser, two extremely well acclaimed and charming Croatian Cellists were in Singapore on 23rd May 2014 for a night of wonderful music at the Star Performing Arts Centre. The theatre was packed to its rafters, with people from all walks of life streaming in to witness a musical extraordinaire.
The night began slowly, with Luka and Stjepan playing songs like Sting’s “Shape of My Heart” and Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida”. The tempo soon picked up however, and coupled with their undying wit and brilliant stage presence, Luka and Stjepan effortlessly swept the crowd off their feet.
The two men entwined in harmony, brought beats out of the cello that no one would think possible. From melodious plucking of the cello’s strings to percussive strikes on the cello’s neck, their extraordinary techniques demanded awe and respect.
The performance also extinguished the stigma that cellos were merely suited for slow classical music when they took to rocking the stage (Much to the crowd’s delight) with famous pieces like Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, The Rolling Stones’ ‘Satisfaction’ and Muse’s ‘Resistance. Not to mention, all-time favourite AC/DC’s ‘Back To Black’ and ‘Thunderstruck’.
The crowd was also invited to its feet towards the end of the show as the tempos escalated to a phenomenon level. The audiences, young and old alike, rhythmically swaying to the beats.
Much to the regrets of many, the concert soon drew to a close, but not before the cellists, coupled with their tireless drummer – Dusan Kranjc (who joined them on stage midway through the segment) returned on stage for two rousing encores.
Wielding their frayed and battered bows, Luka and Stjepan expressed their delight and appreciation for the cheering crowd, promising to host an exclusive autograph session for the adoring fans.
All in all, it was an amazing night, both for the audiences and the performers. Thank you Luka and Stjepan for the amazing performance, and we hope to see you again soon in Singapore!
