VOA标准英语2011--Sudden Internet Fame Helps Croatian Cell

Sudden Internet Fame Helps Croatian Cellists Snag US Record Deal

Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser achieved near instant fame soon after they uploaded an inexpensively-made video of themselves playing Michael Jackson’s 1987 hit “Smooth Criminal.”
The video went viral, garnering¹ three million hits on YouTube in three days. Shortly afterward², the young Croatian cellists received a telephone call from Sir Elton John inviting³ them on his 2011 concert tour.
A record contract with Sony Masterworks soon followed.
Calling themselves “2Cellos,” their new CD of the same name features the duo's own arrangements of pop and rock standards by the likes of Guns N’ Roses, Sting, Nine Inch Nails and U2.
“It’s like the American Dream, really,” says Hauser, in his Croatian-inflected English.
He realizes that 2Cellos might never have achieved instant success even 15 years ago. Record companies might view their kind of music as too risky⁵ to produce and promote.
"But when they see the reaction on the Internet, they see how huge our fan base is and we are doing something new, they signed us," says Hauser.
The two had studied abroad, as many classically trained young musicians do, hoping for opportunities.
“But then it turned out,” says Sulic, “you don’t have to go anywhere."
"You can stay with a few sheep and cows in the village and make it big," adds Hauser with a laugh.
Besides making it big, the pair wants to push beyond the traditional boundaries of the cello⁴.
"Because in classical music the cello is used in only one way,” says Hauser. “And the cello can rock. And we are young, crazy, passionate⁶. We feel there is an animal inside of us that wants to explode.”
And explode they do, with songs like Guns N' Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle,” and Michal Jackson’s “Human Nature.” Sulic and Hauser hope this sort of music will expose young people to the wilds of the cello, while introducing them to rock and pop classics of their parents’ generation.
"It really hurts us when we see the kind of music they listen to. It’s like fast food," says Hauser, "and I don’t like it."
Sulic thinks contemporary club music is to blame. “Melody is usually only two notes," he says. "Where is the beauty in that?"
It’s easy to perceive the beauty in 2Cellos’ rendition of “With You or Without You" by U2, in “Misirlou,” the theme from the film "Pulp⁷ Fiction," and in Sting’s “Fragile.”
Because their rigorous classical training is evident even to a casual listener, some have called their album a “crossover” phenomenon. It's a label Sulic resists.
"Some crossover artists, they take classical masterpiece like a Beethoven symphony and add a techno beat, and that’s called ‘crossover,’ he says. "We try to do it the opposite. We try to take really good rock and pop music and turn it into classical masterpiece by bringing to this music this other dimension.”
“We want to show that music is universal. It doesn’t matter what style it belongs to," adds Hauser. "It’s our mission to spread great music and attract as many young people as possible and make the world a better place."

1 garnering   

v.收集并（通常）贮藏（某物），取得，获得( garner的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• And at the forefront was Bryant, garnering nothing but praise from his coaches and teammates. 而站在最前沿的就是科比，他也因此获得了教练和队友的赞美。 来自互联网

2 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

3 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

4 cello   

n.大提琴

参考例句：

• The cello is a member of the violin family.大提琴是提琴家族的一员。
• She plays a melodious cello.她拉着一手悦耳的大提琴。

5 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

6 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

7 pulp   

n.果肉，纸浆；v.化成纸浆，除去...果肉，制成纸浆

参考例句：

• The pulp of this watermelon is too spongy.这西瓜瓤儿太肉了。
• The company manufactures pulp and paper products.这个公司制造纸浆和纸产品。