2 Cellos Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser interview May 2014

Luka Sulic and Stepjan Hauser interview May 2014

Olaf: What inspired you to take up the cello?- at what age?

Luka and Stepjan: Cello has such a warm, beautiful, tender and intimate sound, closest to the human voice and as soon as we heard it we knew that is the only instrument we want to play!

Olaf: Who were your Heroes?

Luka and Stepjan: In the high school when we became obsessed with the cello we started to listen all this cello masters, I (Stjepan) was influenced by Rostropovich and Du Pre, later on by great Russian cellist Daniil Shafran. During studies we started to listen more and more other instrumentalists as well as the other kinds of music. Luka was greatly influenced by great violin masters like David Oistrakh and Jasha Heifetz. At some point he even wanted to switch to violin.

Olaf: They say that you were an overnight sensation… but how much work did it really take to become an “Overnight Sensation”?

Luka and Stepjan: There was enormous amount of sacrifice. We use to practice sometimes 12 hours a day for years and years and completely gave up our childhood. Being a top cellist is like being a top sportsmen and you really have to dedicate your life to it.

What do you think was the reason that you are as successful as you are?

Luka and Stepjan: Well, we are trying to do something that is exciting, powerful and attractive and our aim is to attract as many kids as possible to this great instrument. We put our whole soul, heart and passion into playing and people recognize and appreciate that!

Olaf: What do you love about performing?

Luka and Stepjan: We love sharing our passion for music with audience and try to touch peoples hearts all around the world! 

Olaf: Is there anything else you are passionate about that you would like to share with up and coming musicians?

Luka and Stepjan: We absolutely love food, and we eat a LOT!!!! As an outdoor guys we like spending time in nature walking as well as swimming.

Olaf:  What kind of instrument do you play Electronic and Acoustic  

Luka and Stepjan: For 2CELLOS shows we use Yamaha silent cellos, but for classical music we use wooden acoustic cello. All our recordings are made on wooden cello as well.

Olaf: What strings are you using?

Luka and Stepjan: We are using Spirocore Tungsten C an G and Evah Pirazzi Soloist D and A. Sometimes Larsen Soloist Strong A string as well.

Olaf: What kind of bow are you using?

Luka and Stepjan: Since Stjepan’s bow broke while
going crazy on Ellen show, we started using Yamaha carbon fiber bows.

Olaf: What do you like about it?

Luka and Stepjan: It cannot break that easy!

Olaf: What are you really fussy about on your instrument’s set up?

Luka and Stepjan: It is important to take care of your instrument as if it is a human being. 

Olaf: Do you teach?

No, we don’t have time at the moment, but Luka would love to teach one day. Stjepan doesn’t have enough patience for that unfortunately!

Olaf: Who were your teachers and how did they inspire you?

Luka and Stepjan: Both of us had a privilege to learn from the best cello teachers during our studies and on
master classes. Stjepan’s most unforgettable lessons were by Rostropovich and Greenhouse who completely changed his way of playing in only few words! Luka was lucky enough to study with an acclaimed Croatian cellist, teacher and arranger Valter Despalj as well as with Reinhard Latzko in Vienna and Mats Lidstrom at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

Olaf: What advice would you give young musicians that want to become more established…

Luka and Stepjan: Be yourself, work hard and never give up! Don’t be afraid to take risks and follow your intuition. Also, never underestimate yourself, thats very important!