Hauser is a man of few words. He trusts everything to his cello and to that seductive look that he gives while pouting on his Instagram post. Hauser, just as he sounds and without a first name – “there was no way for people to pronounce Stjepan correctly” – is launching his solo career after finishing the million-dollar musical adventure of 2Cellos, the rock band he formed with to Luka Šulić.
They were two very handsome guys playing their electronic Sony cellos with a futuristic profile as if they were the hardest metal guitars. But that's over. The Croatian couple will no longer fill stadiums covering all kinds of hits together, starting with those of Nirvana. Now they are two independent units: Hauser is going to have to fill the Palau Sant Jordi alone (October 10) and the WiZink Center in Madrid (on the 11th).
This Rebel with a cello tour is far from the rock band he exhibited with his friend Luka. Now Hauser, 37, shows his most romantic side, his weakness for melody, his connection with soundtracks... yes The Godfather, yes Gladiator, yes Titanic... And he even makes the audience dance , both with the famous Shostakovich waltz and with an entire Latin pop/jazz section. Not in vain did he release The Player last year alone, an album with classics like Bésame mucho, Maybe, Maybe, Maybe and versions of the famous Livin' la vida loca or Señorita.
What happened? Why did they split up? La Vanguardia asks the media musician via streaming, who has become for many the Richard Clayderman of the cello and for others a genius of heavy arrangements.
–Well, we had been touring the world for 13 years and filling arenas. Luka and I have done it all. And he's different, he's not crazy like me. “He has four children!”
–And you live the single life...
-Of course. I want to conquer the world, keep traveling. Luka is calmer, so we follow different paths.
Your show still includes videos, lights and maybe not the flashes of 2Cellos, but a band with a section of girl violinists who wear their hair up in a bun like a chorus of dancers... How important is appearance to pass your shows? castings?
Hauser laughs; No, the main thing is their quality as performers, of course, “but it is not easy to pass the test: they have to play beautifully and be beautiful.” More laughter. Is he a rebel with a cello because he surrounds himself with beauties like a rapper?
"Is not the same. A rapper doesn't kiss a woman's hand. “I am a very sensual and romantic person,” he defends himself. Feminine energy is what drives me, inspires me. It's really amazing but when I see a beautiful woman in the audience I play ten times better.”
But let his humorous appearance not prevent us from seeing the solidity of the musician. Hauser has chosen this type of mass career because he can, because behind him there is a virtuoso who does what he wants with the instrument and who could perhaps be shining in the great classical halls of the world as a soloist. Why do you prefer to fill a Palau Sant Jordi than a Palau de la Música Catalana?
“I always dreamed of bringing the cello and its beautiful music to the masses, to millions of people. It was my childhood desire, I wanted to play in front of an ocean of people, something inspiring and energizing...”, says this artist born in Pula, the city of Istria that preserves its Roman past, and whose childhood took place during the War of the Balkans, “but we were in a quiet area.”
Did that kid want to be the Michael Jackson of the cello? "Yeah! I looked at the great performers: Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, Freddie Mercury... But I didn't want to pick up the microphone like any pop star, but rather the cello, to do something very unique, a true miracle. I was looking for the definitive show and I think this one is it now, because it is a journey through music: from classical to Latin; and you can laugh, cry, dance... it's a carousel of emotions.”
This Christmas he is preparing to break records again on the classical albums list, as he did in 2020 with Classic. This October 27th he releases Christmas. Fabulous Christmas carols with orchestral arrangements. The Bing Crosby of the cello?
“Yes: Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin, but with those arrangements that make them sound like classical masterpieces.” And he concludes: “If the purists criticize me, it is because I make the revolution and they want to remain stuck in their usual little world.” Amen.
