On 24 August 2018, Croatian cellist Stjepan Hauser gathered his ‘Friends’ in the Pula Arena, a first-century Roman amphitheatre in Croatia, for a gala devoted to classical music. Backed by the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra under Ivo Lipanović, Hauser invited pianist Lola Astanova, violinist Caroline Campbell, accordionist Ksenija Sidorova and guitarist Petrit Çeku. The programme runs through celebrated pages of the lyric and instrumental repertoire — ‘Casta Diva’, ‘O mio babbino caro’, ‘Song to the Moon’, ‘O sole mio’, Monti’s ‘Csárdás’ and the ‘Moonlight Sonata’ — in arrangements shaped for the monumental setting. Filmed in full, this live concert film illustrates an accessible, spectacular approach to boundary-crossing classical music, carried by the virtuosity of Hauser’s cello. Between ancient stone and Mediterranean light, this 2018 full concert in Pula remains one of the decade’s great live moments in classical crossover, and a showcase for a genre-blending ensemble of world-class soloists on an unforgettable historic stage.
Setlist
- Casta Diva
- Song to the Moon
- O mio babbino caro
- O sole mio
- Csárdás (Monti)
- Moonlight Sonata
Personnel & credits
- Stjepan Hauser — cello
- Lola Astanova — piano
- Caroline Campbell — violin
- Ksenija Sidorova — accordion
- Petrit Çeku — guitar
- Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra
- Ivo Lipanović — conductor
