2Cellos (stylized 2CΞLLOS) were a Croatian cellist duo,[2][3][4] consisting of classically trained cellists Luka Šulić and Stjepan Hauser. Signed to Sony Masterworks in 2011, they released six albums. The duo played instrumental arrangements for cellos of well-known pop and rock songs, as well as classical and film music.[5] The duo performed internationally and were featured on several American television series including Glee and The Bachelor (Sean and Catherine's Wedding).[6] They continue to be active as solo performers.
The duo rose to fame in 2011 after their cover of "Smooth Criminal" became a hit on YouTube,[10] receiving over three million views in the first two weeks[9] and almost 43 million views as of April 2021.[11] One of Hauser's acquaintances in Croatia, a director, assisted in the creation of a video to "Smooth Criminal." The video[12] features Šulić and Hauser facing off alone in a large ballroom littered with chairs, playing Jackson's tune.[9] Before they became partners, the two cellists were sometimes considered rivals, competing against each other in music competitions.[12]
Elton John asked the duo to appear with him on his 2011 summer tour,[10] which began in Cardiff, Wales on 8 June.[9] John personally called Šulić and said that he had watched the "Smooth Criminal" video and wanted 2Cellos to participate in his thirty-city tour.[19] The two had previously performed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show of 25 April 2011.[13][20] 2Cellos also performed at the 2011 iTunes Festival in London.[19] They went on to perform internationally with Elton John and his band for five years, including hundreds of performances at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. They appear in The Million Dollar Piano movie filmed at the Colosseum in 2012 and on the 2013 album, The Diving Board.
The duo performed an arrangement of "Smooth Criminal" in the third season of the television show Glee.[21] The episode in which they appeared, titled "Michael", aired on 31 January 2012, and was the first time that the series highlighted instrumental musicians. The scene featuring "Smooth Criminal" was set up similarly to 2Cellos' original music video for the song.[22] On 4 June 2012 2Cellos performed with Elton John at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert at Buckingham Palace. On 12 June 2012, 2Cellos performed in front of a full Arena Zagreb audience. The concert was filmed for DVD: Live at Arena Zagreb.
Although the two usually record covers of rock songs, Šulić and Hauser said they still play with orchestras and will not abandon playing classical music. The cellists said they would someday like to go on tour with both a classical and a contemporary orchestra,[12] a hope that was fulfilled in part during their tour for the album Score. Their second studio album, entitled In2ition, came out early in 2013, and featured new twists on a diverse range of classic tracks with a few surprise vocal and instrumental duet partners including Elton John, Lang Lang, Naya Rivera, Steve Vai, Sky Ferreira and Zucchero. The album was produced by Bob Ezrin.
In July 2013, they filmed a commercial for the Japanese mobile phone company Docomo.[24] Their album In2ition debuted on the Japanese Albums Chart, in August 2013 at number 1.[25] Since then, they have done commercials for the US National Football League Thursday Night Football , for 1906 Reerva Especial and they have done several print campaigns for the Italian designer, s.Oliver.
As a part of their world tour with Elton John, including concerts in North America, Europe and Asia, 2Cellos performed at Madison Square Garden two days in a row, in December 2013.[26] In March 2014, they had a solo Japanese tour.[27]
Drummer Dušan Kranjc (born in Pula, Croatia) joined the group in 2011
2Cellos has used YouTube to reach out to their audience, posting videos of notable live performances, including Arena Zagreb (2012), Arena Pula (2013), EXIT Festival (2014), and their fifth anniversary concert at Arena di Verona (2016) in Italy. In February 2014, the duo published their rendition of AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" to YouTube. The video depicts the duo playing before a Baroque audience, which soon finds out that the song is anything but classical. The video went viral at the beginning of March, gathering 10 million views in the first two weeks.[29] As of March 2021, the video has garnered over 200 million views.
As Šulić told The Sydney Morning Herald, "we love AC/DC as much as Bach." Hauser added, "both (AC/DC and Bach) are simple and convincing in what they do."[29][30]
In 2017, Šulić and Hauser released their fourth album, Score, recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra, which included a wide array of television and film music. To mark the album's release, 2Cellos released their official YouTube video for Game of Thrones Medley, which garnered over 1 million views in two days.
The Elton John Band is the band that backs singer, composer and pianist Elton John on both studio and live recordings. The band has gone through several lineup changes, but Nigel Olsson, Davey Johnstone, and Ray Cooper have been members since 1969, 1971 and 1973 respectively. The various lineups of the band have consisted of both British, American, and European musicians. The band is often not recognised as a formal entity, and is instead referred to simply as the Elton John Band.
Stjepan Hauser, known professionally as HAUSER, is a Croatian cellist. He was a member of 2CELLOS, along with Luka Šulić, and continues to perform solo.
Bernard Greenhouse was an American cellist and one of the founding members of the Beaux Arts Trio.
Lana Trotovšek is a London-based Slovenian violinist. She is a soloist and chamber musician who has performed around the world. She plays on a violin made by Pietro Antonio dalla Costa from Treviso in 1750.
Yoko Misumi is a Japanese classical pianist.
Steven Sharp Nelson is an American cellist. He is best known as "The Cello Guy" of the classical new-age musical group The Piano Guys, with whom he has released eight number-one albums and dozens of music videos. He also has three solo albums to his credit. He is considered a pioneer in "cello-percussion", which enhances traditional cello playing with pizzicato and percussive techniques.
Luka Šulić is a Slovenian cellist. He was a member of 2CELLOS, along with Stjepan Hauser.
The Greatest Hits Tour was a concert tour by Elton John. The tour started in February 2011 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada and has visited the Americas, Europe, Asia and Australasia. The tour placed ninth on Pollstar's "Top 50 Worldwide Tours (Mid-Year)", earning over $40 million with 57 shows.
The Piano Guys is an American musical group consisting of pianist Jon Schmidt, cellist Steven Sharp Nelson, videographer Paul Anderson, and music producer Al van der Beek. Originating in Utah, they gained popularity through YouTube, where in 2011 they began posting piano and cello compositions combining classical, pop, film score and original music, showcased through elaborate or cinematic videos. As of March 2020 the group had surpassed 2 billion views on their YouTube channel and had 6.7 million subscribers. Their first eight major-label studio albums, The Piano Guys, The Piano Guys 2, A Family Christmas, Wonders, Uncharted, Christmas Together, Limitless, and 10, each reached number one on Billboard Classical Albums or New Age Albums charts.
2Cellos is the debut studio album by Croatian cello duo 2Cellos. It was released on June 10, 2011, worldwide, through Sony Masterworks. The album peaked at number 1 on the US Billboard Top Classical Albums chart.
In2ition is the second studio album by Croatian cello duo, 2Cellos. It was released on November 9, 2012, in Japan, and January 15, 2013, in the rest of the world, through Sony Masterworks. The album peaked at number 1 on the Croatian and Japanese Albums charts.
The Diving Board Tour was a concert tour by British musician Elton John taking place in North, South and Central America and Europe in promotion of John's 2013 album The Diving Board.
The discography of 2Cellos, a Croatian cello duo, consists of five studio albums, one extended play (EP) and one video album.
Live at Arena Zagreb is a live concert video from the Croatian cello duo, 2Cellos, filmed at Croatia's Arena Zagreb, in 2012. It was released on 21 August 2013 to DVD.
Angelo Jurkas is a writer, film director, publicist, novelist, essayist, lyricist and screenwriter.
Follow the Yellow Brick Road Tour was a concert tour by English musician Elton John taking place in North America and Europe in promotion of the 40th anniversary re-release of 1973's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
The Manhattan Blues Project is the fifth studio album by guitarist Steve Hunter. Released in 2013, the blues guitar album features instrumental interpretations of New York City. It is particularly notable for its all-star lineup of guest musicians: Phil Aaberg, 2Cellos, actor/musician Johnny Depp, Marty Friedman, Michael Lee Firkins, Tommy Henriksen, Tony Levin, Joe Perry, and Joe Satriani. The album also includes a composition by Jason Becker, co-founder of Cacophony.
Tall Heights is an electrofolk duo based in Boston, USA. The group was formed in 2009 and consists of the singer/guitarist Tim Harrington and the singer/cellist Paul Wright. Tours have also featured the percussionist/singer Paul Dumas. Their albums are Man of Stone, Neptune, Pretty Colors For Your Actions, and Juniors.
Score is a 2017 album by Croatian duo 2Cellos, produced by them, in conjunction with Nick Patrick. It features songs from movies and TV shows, such as Schindler's List and Game of Thrones. The album was preceded by the single "Game of Thrones".
↑ "2Cellos - YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved 19 April 2021. All views of all videos posted of solely "Smooth Criminal" (i.e. excluding album videos that include Smooth Criminal as a song) - the number quoted by this source "Video: Hrvaška violončelista videlo na milijone Američanov". Radiotelevizija Slovenija (in Slovenian). MMC RTV Slovenija. 26 April 2011. Archived from the original on 29 April 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2011. is unknown and overstates the currently published numbers by Youtube, it may include views of albums including Smooth Criminal.
↑ Jurgensen, John (13 January 2012). "The Cello Shredders". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Archived from the original on 3 January 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
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