BY LAURA BIEMMI, TRENDS EDITOR
2Cellos
Riverside Theatre, 23 November
I am notoriously hard to please when it comes to crossover music. Exploring how classical music interacts with other genres can be intriguing. But when the aim becomes less inquisitive and more “look at how well I can perform both styles of music!”, I am filled with disappointment at the self-indulgent nature of the exercise.
With 2Cellos, there was none of that.
The Croatian cello duo of Luka Šulić and Stjepan Hauser, who visited Perth as part of their Australia and New Zealand tour and were supported by the Metropolitan Orchestra of Sydney, instead brought a mixture of high-energy, fun, well-known music and self-deprecating humour. Nods to their classical music origins were few and far between, but the evening was an immense hit, with people dancing in the aisles, singing along and rocking out.
First and foremost, Šulić and Hauser are formidable cellists. Though much marketing flaunts the fact that the two musicians are “classically trained”, this does not fully encompass accomplishments outside of the duo. Both Šulić and Hauser have won multiple international cello competitions each and in high demand as chamber musicians and soloists around the world. Such impressive musicianship was on display throughout the night, showcased within technically demanding arrangements of popular tunes. The quick passagework of ACDC’s Thunderstruck was just as impressive as the mournful Adagio of the theme from The Godfather; and the Baroque-like ornaments slapped onto the main tune from Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit were technically challenging and comedically effective. At some points, the talents of the two cellists seemed wasted in banal and repetitive arrangements, such as those from The Titanic or Game of Thrones, but these moments were crowd-pleasers nonetheless.
Such displays of virtuosity can be intimidating for the audience, yet Šulić and Hauser interacted with each other and the audience in such a way that put the crowds at ease and made one feel as if they were amongst friends. Šulić cheekily referred to Hauser as “his assistant”, and Hauser let the audience know that, whenever a “beautiful piece” was on its way, “I get chills every time I hear myself play it”. This comradery and humour pervaded the music; even though it would be a stretch to call these arrangements chamber music, Šulić and Hauser were forever watching each other, sometimes to pull the music around, and sometimes just to smile at each other.
In addition to the music, each piece was accompanied by visuals ranging from pulsing, fit-inducing flashes to music video-esque videos of the two cellists. Whilst the music videos were often distracting, the more abstract visuals heightened the music experience, particularly those that accompanied arrangements of Seven Nation Army and Chariots of Fire.
The visuals, repertoire, and banter were all combined into a night just focused on being fun and entertaining. It didn’t really feel like a crossover event in that the evening wasn’t about how the classical and popular music worlds collide, and whether or not two classical instrumentalists could perform in a more popular style. They obviously can.
Having said that, my favourite moment of the evening was the brief ‘remix’ of Rossini’s William Tell Overture, where the finale of the overture was transformed into a rock-like idiom. However, this little remix was immediately followed by a series of video skits depicting the two cellists rejecting the classical music tradition in favour of a more pop-oriented style of playing. The first showed Šulić and Hauser in elderly prosthetics, playing Bach in a nursing home before switching to a rock song to liven the place up. In a similar vein, the second video showed two young actors (presumably 2Cellos as kids) rebelling against their strict cello teacher, kicking down the music stand and running away laughing. Whilst critically examining the Western art tradition and its canon is a crucial exercise in evaluating the vitality of the artform, this type of rejection of a highly stereotyped image of classical music seemed to pander to the general public’s perception of classical music as a rigid, boring, outdated artform. For two musicians are still active classical performers, peddling such an idea is nonsensical, and may further the divide between classical music and audiences who are yet to embrace it.
For the time being, an extremely full Riverside Theatre wholeheartedly embraced 2Cellos and all their musical offerings in a successful night of music-making.
Image supplied. Credit: Roger Rich.
