Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Who Says Classical Musicians Can't Be Hot?


Yes, I know. The Oscar nominations were announced today. I'll get to them, eventually (you know I have plenty to say about them, too). And I have the Second Annual Ariel Awards to get to, as well. I'd look for those this coming Sunday, if I were a regular reader of mine (which I am - how narcissistic is that?).

But tonight, I want to talk about music. In particular, cellists Stjepan Hauser and Luka Sulic. That's Luka on your right. The 20-Something Croatians have made quite a splash in the Classical Music world and their mad skills on the cello have made them stars in Europe.

Personally, I had heard of neither of them until a friend posted the video below on Facebook the other day. And that's a shame. I grew up on both classic Rock 'n Roll, thanks to Mom and Classical music and opera, thanks to Dad, so my personal choices in music are eclectic, to say the least. While I can appreciate and enjoy the club music of Lady Gaga, I still get goosebumps when I hear a particularly excellent recording of Ode to Joy or The Planets. Of course, the largest part of my personal music library consists of film scores by the people I consider to be the modern Classical composers: Bernard Herrman; Max Steiner; Jerry Goldsmith; Danny Elfman; James Horner and Hans Zimmer (among many others). So, when I find artists who are able to combine modern pop/rock with classical sounds and instruments, I go into paroxysms of Musical Joy. And such is the case with this video of Hauser and Sulic playing Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" on dueling cellos. And it doesn't hurt that they ain't hard on the eyes. 

I already shared this on Facebook, so forgive me for repeating myself, but when I come across something this exciting (to me, at least), I have to share with as many people as I can. Enjoy:



You must admit, no matter what your musical bent may be, these boys have talent. And I can't wait to hear what they have up their sleeves next.

More, anon.
Prospero

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