Stjepan Hauser – I Miss Concerts and Contact with Audiences

I Miss Concerts and Contact with Audiences

Nedostaju mi koncerti i kontakt s publikom

Famous cellist Stjepan Hauser is a frequent guest of our hotel. We talked to him about how the COVID-19 pandemic is influencing his work, about the duets that he has recorded, his creative block and hobbies. Čest gost našeg hotela poznati je violončelist Stjepan Hauser. Razgovarali smo s njim o tome kako pandemija koronavirusne bolesti utječe na njegov rad, o duetima koje je snimio, stvaralačkoj blokadi i hobijima.

Author: SANDRA OSREČKI Photographs: TOMISLAV SMOLJANOVIĆ

Young, talented, successful - these are the epithets that describe Croatian world-renowned cellist, who used to be part of the 2Cellos duo and is a solo musician today. The release of his long-awaited solo album of classical music titled Classic made his childhood dreams come true and started his launch to the soloist orbit, where only the sky’s the limit. Four singles have already been released from the album: „Swan Lake“, „Air on G String“, „River Flows in You“ and „Nessun dorma“. The album also includes adaptations of pieces by Mozart, Albinoni, Rachmaninoff and some contemporary authors.

He was born in the city of Pula. Classical music is his life, he gets up and goes to bed with it. He is creative and full of new ideas, he says that he is only at the beginning Mlad, talentiran, uspješan epiteti su koji krase Stjepana Hausera, hrvatskog ali i svjetski poznatog violončelista, nekad člana popularnog dua 2Cellos, a danas glazbenika u solističkim vodama. Objavivši svoj dugoočekivani solistički album klasične glazbe „Classic“, ostvario je sve svoje dječačke snove te započeo lansiranje u solističku orbitu, gdje mu je samo nebo granica. S albuma su već objavljena četiri singla: „Swan lake“ („Labuđe jezero“), „Air on G string“, „Rivers Flows in You“ i „Nessun dorma“, a na albumu se još nalaze i obrade skladbi Mozarta, Albinonija, Rahmanjinova te nekih suvremenih autora.

Rođeni Puljanin, klasičnu glazbu živi, s njom se budi i liježe. Kreativan i pun novih ideja, kaže da je tek na početku svoje glazbene karijere. Iako tek u tridese-

of his music career. Although only in his 30s, Stjepan Hauser has already performed in over 40 countries on all continents, which includes concerts in the world’s most prestigious concert halls, such as Wigmore Hall, the Royal Albert Hall, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Southbank Centre and many others, and he has also received numerous awards in prestigious national and international competitions. He had a career turnaround and achieved world fame and popularity in 2011, when he and Luka Šulić decided to do a cover of Michael Jackson’s hit „Smooth Criminal“. Their cello cover became a hit on YouTube in a matter of days.

He arrives for the interview in the Esplanade Hotel’s bar punctually to the minute. He carefully leans his cello against a leather chair, orders freshly pressed juice and begins the interview with a smile on his face. He oozes a boyish enthusiasm and sincere commitment to music and creation, such as only the greatest artists possess. Passion, commitment to and love of music pervade the whole conversation, they are felt in his every answer.

We are in a difficult period of the pandemic. What is your business situation as a musician like? Do you manage to create and work?

The pandemic has had an adverse impact on all industries, especially on us music artists. All events have been cancelled, my whole tour has been cancelled. Before the pandemic, I took a year-and-a-half long break to rest from everything, and exactly when I wanted to come back to playing, the pandemic broke out and my break got extended to two and a half years. I enjoyed the rest at the beginning, but I’ve had enough now. I miss concerts and contact with audiences.

During the quarantine, you recorded a cover of Celine Dion’s „My Heart Will Go On“ from the film Titanic with Italian singer Benedetta Caretta and the recording delighted your fans on social networks. What are your future plans?

Due to this situation with the pandemic, I cannot plan anything regarding concerts and tours. Nobody knows how long it will last, but at least now I have a lot of time to create, record and carry out all the things that I always wanted to do, but never had the time. I was always on the road, in a hurry and stress, there was always some fuss. I am using this free time to develop in other areas that I didn’t have time for when I was on tours. It is in a way good for me. Now I have recorded many new pieces without stress, I keep on recording them, so that I will make the most of this time to record as many pieces as possible.

In February, you also released your long-awaited first solo album of classical music titled Classic. Are you proud of it? How satisfied are you with its success?

I’m extremely satisfied. Classic is currently the best-selling classical music album in the world. It made my craziest dreams come true. This is something that I have actually waited for my whole life. All the music on the album, these romantic melodies that I grew up with, which are in my heart, this is a hundred percent me. This actually made my childhood dream come true. tima, Stjepan Hauser već je nastupio u više od 40 zemalja na svim kontinentima, uključujući koncerte u najprestižnijim svjetskim dvoranama, poput Wigmore Halla, Royal Albert Halla, amsterdamskog Concertgebouwa, Southbank Centra i mnogih drugih, a dobitnik je i brojnih nagrada na prestižnim domaćim i svjetskim natjecanjima. Preokret u karijeri i svjetsku slavu i popularnost postiže 2011. godine, kad zajedno s Lukom Šulićem odlučuje obraditi poznati hit Michaela Jacksona „Smooth Criminal“ koji u njihovoj violončelističkoj izvedbi u samo nekoliko dana postaje hit na YouTubeu.

Točno u minutu dolazi na dogovoreni intervju u baru hotela Esplanade. Oprezno odlaže violončelo uz kožnatu garnituru, naručuje svježe cijeđeni sok i sa smiješkom na licu započinje razgovor. Odiše dječačkim zanosom i iskrenom posvećenošću glazbi i stvaranju, kakvu imaju samo najveći umjetnici. Strast, predanost i ljubav prema glazbi prožimaju čitav razgovor, osjete se u svakom njegovom odgovoru.

Nalazimo se u teškom razdoblju pandemije. Kakva je vaša poslovna situacija kao glazbenika, uspijevate li stvarati i raditi?

Pandemija je loše utjecala na sve grane gospodarstva, a pogotovo na nas umjetnike koji se bavimo glazbom. Svi eventi su otkazani, moja je cijela turneja otkazana. Prije pandemije sam uzeo pauzu godinu i pol, kako bih se odmorio od svega, i upravo kad sam se odlučio vratiti sviranju, stigla je pandemija i pauza se produžila na dvije i pol godine. U početku sam uživao u odmoru, međutim, sad mi je dosta. Nedostaju mi koncerti i kontakt s publikom.

Za vrijeme karantene snimili ste s talijanskom pjevačicom Benedettom Carettom verziju pjesme Celine Dion „My heart will go on“ iz filma „Titanic“, a snimka je oduševila obožavatelje na društvenim mrežama. Kakvi su vaši daljnji planovi?

S obzirom na sadašnju situaciju s pandemijom, ne mogu ništa planirati u vezi s koncertima i turnejama, ne zna se koliko će sve to još potrajati, ali sad barem imam puno prostora za stvaranje, snimanje i realizaciju svega što sam oduvijek želio, a nisam imao vremena. Stalno sam bio na putu, stalno neka žurba, strka, stres. Koristim ovo slobodno vrijeme da se razvijem na drugim poljima za koja nisam imao toliko vremena kad sam bio na turnejama. To mi je na neki način i dobro došlo. Sad sam na miru snimio puno novih stvari, snimam stalno i dalje, pa ću maksimalno iskoristiti ovo vrijeme da snimim što više.

U veljači ste objavili i dugoočekivani prvi solistički album klasične glazbe „Classic“. Jeste li ponosni na svoj prvijenac? Kako ste zadovoljni njegovim uspjehom?

Prezadovoljan. „Classic“ je trenutačno najprodavaniji album klasične glazbe na svijetu. To je ostvarenje svih mojih najluđih snova. Nešto što sam zapravo cijeli život čekao. Sva glazba na albumu, te romantične melodije uz koje sam odrastao, koje su meni u srcu, u tome sam sto posto ja. To je zapravo ispunjenje dječačkog sna. The pandemic has had an adverse impact on all industries, especially on us music artists. All events have been cancelled, my whole tour has been cancelled.

Pandemija je loše utjecala na sve grane gospodarstva, a pogotovo na nas umjetnike koji se bavimo glazbom. Svi eventi su otkazani, moja je cijela turneja otkazana.

I have never had a block. A bigger problem to me is that I have too many ideas, I’m always amped up, I can’t stop.

Nemam nikada blokadu, veći mi je problem što imam previše ideja, stalno sam nabrijan, ne mogu stati Can you describe your typical working day in a nutshell?

There is no difference between private and work in my life, to me it is all both work and pleasure. It all melts into one. I do the work, record something, and also have a good time. There is actually no work in my life, only inspiration and artistic drive are important.

What inspires and motivates you the most in your music? Do you ever find yourself in a creative block and how do you solve it?

I have never had a block. A bigger problem to me is that I have too many ideas, I’m always amped up, I can’t stop. When I have done, recorded something, it is not enough for me, I want to go on and on right away. As much as it is good, it is also bad. I cannot relax, rest, go to bed with an empty mind. I have a million ideas constantly swirling through my head. I can do several projects at a time, be everywhere.

We know a lot about your business successes and your music, but little is known about you as a person. People say that you are an introvert person. What are you like in your private life? How do you spend your time? Do you have hobbies? How do you let off steam? Možete li ukratko opisati svoj tipični radni dan?

U mojem životu nema razlike između privatnog i poslovnog, meni je sve i posao i užitak i gušt. Sve se stapa u jedno. Obavim posao, snimim nešto, a uz to se i dobro zabavim. Nema zapravo rada u mojem životu, samo su bitni inspiracija, umjetnički poriv i nadahnuće.

Što vas najviše inspirira i motivira u vašoj glazbi? Nađete li se ponekad u stvaralačkoj blokadi i kako to rješavate?

Nemam nikada blokadu, veći mi je problem što imam previše ideja, stalno sam nabrijan, ne mogu stati. Kad nešto napravim, snimim, nije mi to dovoljno, odmah bih dalje i dalje. Koliko je to dobro, toliko je i loše. Ne mogu se opustiti, odmoriti, leći prazne glave. Milijun ideja mi stalno prolazi mislima. Mogu raditi nekoliko projekata odjednom, biti na sve strane.

Znamo mnogo o vašim poslovnim uspjesima i vašoj glazbi, međutim, o vama se privatno malo zna. Govori se da ste introvertirana osoba. Kakvi ste privatno? Kako provodite slobodno vrijeme, imate li hobije, koji je vaš ispušni ventil?

Nemam hobije, meni je muzika i posao i hobi. Puno hodam, mogu hodati satima, to me opušta, a opet, slušam glazbu i kad hodam, vizualiziram, zamišljam, uvijek sam u tome.

me. And then again, I listen to music also when I go for a walk, I visualize, imagine, I am always in it.

You have worked with many renowned and successful musicians. Which cooperation do you remember the most and with which musician would you like to collaborate with?

I am fortunate to have worked with the greatest legends, but among all international legends, the cooperation with Oliver Dragojević is still dearest to my heart. It is personal; I grew up with Oliver, I was two years old and I was already listening to his voice, it remained etched in my memory and got under my skin. All my life I dreamed about playing with my hero one day, and it is incomparable to anything else. I have also collaborated with Elton John.

What is your biggest fear?

A difficult question. It changes, one fear goes away, another comes and so it goes around and around. I don’t want anybody to take my freedom of expression and creation away, I live for art, expression, for music. I can’t imagine that someone could take that away from me, that I couldn’t express myself in that way. That’s probably my biggest fear.

Your fast success on YouTube is well-known. What advice would you give young musicians who are about to enter that world, what to hope for, how to get their break, achieve success and fame?

The problem with many young people is that they are under the influence of the masses, trends and current events. You must create your own world and be confident in what you are doing and be completely detached from what is going on in the world. Many people fall under the influence of current trends and they think that they must work in that way, so they copy others. Actually, you must be in a world of your own and then authenticity makes you stand out from the masses. You must pave your own way and not go where everybody is going. Young people have no patience, we live in an instant, fast world, in which young people think that everything can come overnight. I spent over 25 years studying, scrutinizing, refining, practising, being immersed in it, exploring everything, striving Surađivali ste s mnogim poznatim i uspješnim glazbenicima. Koju suradnju najviše pamtite i s kojim biste glazbenikom voljeli surađivati?

Zaista sam imao sreću surađivati s najvećim legendama, ali od svih svjetskih legendi, ipak mi je suradnja s Oliverom najviše prirasla srcu. To je osobno; uz Olivera sam odrastao, imao sam dvije godine i već sam slušao taj njegov glas, urezao mi se u pamćenje i uvukao pod kožu. Cijeli život sam maštao da jednog dana sviram s mojim herojem i to je nešto što se ne može usporediti ni sa čim. Surađivao sam i s Eltonom Johnom.

Koji je vaš najveći strah?

Teško pitanje. To se mijenja, jedan strah prođe, drugi dođe i tako stalno ukrug. Ne želim da mi itko oduzme slobodu izražavanja i stvaranja, živim za umjetnost, izražaj, za glazbu. Ne mogu zamisliti da bi mi netko to mogao oduzeti, da se ne mogu izraziti na taj način. To mi je vjerojatno najveći strah.

Poznat je vaš brzi uspjeh na YouTubeu. Što biste savjetovali mladim glazbenicima koji tek kreću u taj svijet, čemu da se nadaju, kako da se probiju, postignu uspjeh i slavu?

Problem je mnogih mladih što su pod utjecajem mase, trendova i zbivanja. Ti moraš stvarati neki svoj svijet i biti uvjeren u to što radiš i uopće nemati dodir s onim što se događa u svijetu. Mnogi padnu pod trenutačni utjecaj i misle da moraju raditi na taj način, pa kopiraju, a zapravo trebaš biti u nekom svojem filmu i onda vas autentičnost izdvaja iz mase. Sam trebaš utabati neki svoj put, a ne ići tamo gdje svi idu. Mladi nemaju strpljenja, živimo u nekom instantnom,

I am fortunate to have worked with the greatest legends, but among all international legends, the cooperation with Oliver Dragojević is still dearest to my heart Zaista sam imao sreću surađivati s najvećim legendama, ali od svih svjetskih legendi, ipak mi je suradnja s Oliverom najviše prirasla srcu for perfectionism. And then it happens, after so many years of work and endeavour, your whole life stands behind it. Young people today don’t have such discipline and patience. What else would you like to achieve in your career? What are your goals and plans? I haven’t even started yet, the right things are yet to come! I have so many ideas which I haven’t had the time to realize yet. Now I feel that the time has come to put it all into practice. There will be many surprises. The video for „Nessun dorma“ from your album Classic, in which you were accompanied by around 70 members of the SO DO El Sistema children and youth symphony orchestra, was shot in the Šijana Forest, where you also learned to walk. Is that video particularly symbolic and significant? Yes, that video is very symbolic. That is the forest, in which I learned to walk as a kid, then kids playing instruments in the video... it is all connected, symbolic. Children are the world’s future. It is nice to see young people do something this noble, instead of being on the streets. It’s better to see them with violins and violoncellos in their hands. You often stay at the Esplanade Hotel. What are your rituals when you travel to other cities and countries? To wake up and have coffee, haha! That’s life. People are constantly looking for something in life, but at the end of the day, it all comes down to little things. It’s about moments. To wake up, breath in, have coffee somewhere on a nice terrace. This terrace of the Esplanade Hotel is particularly beautiful. Decoration: LELA DESIGN

Lightning: SMASH LIGHT WEDDINGS brzom svijetu u kojem mladi misle da sve može doći preko noći. Ja sam 25 i više godina proučavao, izučavao, usavršavao, vježbao, bio u tome, istraživao sve moguće, težio perfekcionizmu. I onda se to dogodi, nakon toliko truda i godina rada, cijeli život stoji iza toga. Mladi danas nemaju takvu disciplinu i strpljenje.

Što biste još u karijeri željeli postići? Koji su vaši ciljevi i planovi?

Ja nisam još ni počeo, prave stvari tek slijede! Imam toliko ideja koje do sada nisam imao vremena realizirati! Sad osjećam da je došlo vrijeme da sve to provedem u djelo. Bit će puno iznenađenja.

Spot za pjesmu „Nessun dorma“ s vašeg albuma „Classic“ snimljen je, u pratnji 70-ak članova dječjeg simfonijskog orkestra SO DO El Sistema, u Šijanskoj šumi u kojoj ste i prohodali. Ima li taj spot posebnu simboliku i značaj?

Da, taj spot ima puno simbolike, u toj sam šumi kao klinac prohodao, pa klinci koji u spotu sviraju instrumente... sve je to povezano, simbolično. Na mladima svijet ostaje. Lijepo je vidjeti mlade da se bave nečim tako plemenitim, umjesto da su na ulici. Bolje ih je vidjeti s violinom i violončelom u ruci.

Čest ste gost hotela Esplanade. Kakvi su vaši rituali tijekom putovanja u drugi grad, državu?

Probuditi se i otići na kavu, ha ha! To je život. Ljudi stalno traže nešto u životu, a na kraju se sve svodi na sitnice. To su trenuci. Probuditi se, udahnuti, popiti kavu negdje na lijepoj terasi. Ova Esplanadina je posebno lijepa terasa.