Yanni
(born Yiannis Hrysomallis
( Pronounced Chrysomallis ), (Greek: G?????? ???s?µ?????, classical transcription Giannis Chrysomallis
), on November 14, 1954 in Kalamata, Greece) is a self-taught pianist, keyboardist, and composer. After receiving a B.A. in psychology, he would instead seek a life in music though he had no formal training and could not read a note.
He earned Grammy nominations for his 1992 album, Dare to Dream
, and the 1993 follow-up, In My Time
. His breakthrough success came with the 1994 release of Yanni Live at the Acropolis
, deemed to be the second best-selling music video of all time, [1] (behind Michael Jackson's video for Thriller
with nine million units). Yanni has since performed live in concert before in excess of two million people in more than 20 countries around the world. He has accumulated more than 35 platinum and gold albums globally, with sales totaling over 20 million copies.
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Biography
Early life
Yanni is a self-taught
pianist who began his musical career by giving recitals for family members though he had no formal training and could not read a note. He was also a competitive swimmer in Greece and set a national record in the 50-meter freestyle competition . At the age of 18 he attended the
University of Minnesota. While a student there, Yanni joined an up-and-coming local group called
Chameleon where he met drummer
Charlie Adams.
[2] Chameleon earned some modest commercial success touring throughout the Midwest, particularly in the states of
Minnesota,
Iowa,
Wisconsin,
Illinois and
South Dakota. After receiving a
B.A. in
psychology, he sought a life in music. He moved to
California in pursuit of movie soundtrack work. In 1987 he put together a small band which included
John Tesh and Charlie Adams, and began touring to promote his earliest instrumental albums,
Keys to Imagination
,
Out of Silence
, and
Chameleon Days
.
1990s
Dare to Dream
was released in 1992. It was Yanni’s first
Grammy-nominated album and featured "Aria", a song based on
The Flower Duet and popularized by an award-winning
British Airways commercial. A second
Grammy-nominated album,
In My Time
, was released in 1993. His music has been used extensively in television and televised sporting events, including the
Super Bowl,
Wide World of Sports,
U.S. Open,
Tour de France,
World Figure Skating Championships,
The Olympics, and
ABC News.
[3]
Yanni's breakthrough commercial success came with the release of his album and video,
Yanni Live at the Acropolis
, filmed on September 23, 1993 at the 2,000-year-old
Herod Atticus Theater in
Athens, Greece,
[4] and released in 1994. This was Yanni’s first live album and utilized a full orchestra under the supervision of conductor
Shardad Rohani, in addition to his core band. Subsequently, the concert was broadcast in the US on
PBS and quickly became one of their most popular programs ever, having been seen in 65 countries by half a billion people.
[5] It has almost continuously remained on the charts since its release and is the second best-selling music video of all time, selling more than 7 million copies worldwide,
(behind
Michael Jackson's video for
Thriller
with nine million units). A composition from this album, "Acroyali/Standing in Motion", was determined to have the "
Mozart Effect," by the
Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine
because it is similar to
Mozart's K 448 in tempo, structure, melodic and harmonic consonance and predictability.
[6] [7] He has appeared on several major
PBS Pledge TV Specials such as
A Decade Of Excellence
, including segments from
Live at the Acropolis
,
Tribute
, and
Live at Royal Albert Hall
, London.
In March 1997, Yanni became one of the few Western artists permitted to perform and record at the
Taj Mahal in India. Later that year he performed at the
Forbidden City in China. From these two events he created his next live album and video,
Tribute
, which was released in 1997.
Armen Anassian, Conductor, concedes that he had some doubts about the artist's plans to perform at India's Taj Mahal and China's Forbidden City for
Tribute
: "To be honest, a few years ago when he was talking about it, the idea was so amazing. I myself was very skeptical, understandably so. But the truth is, it happened. We did it."
[8] Anassian describes Yanni as "very optimistic" and has observed that "nothing really fazes him."
That outlook carries over naturally to his music. "I don't think it's a goal, per se. He's very honest with his own feelings. His music really comes from the heart. He writes music with ease, the music comes out with relative ease. The feel-good portion of the music is a by-product. It coincides with what the people love to hear."
Lighting Designers Lee Rose and David "Gurn" Kaniski received an Emmy nomination for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Drama Series, Variety Series, Miniseries or a Special" for both Live at the Acropolis and Tribute .
2000s
In 2000, after a two-year sabbatical, Yanni released his first studio album in seven years:
If I Could Tell You
.
Yanni also toured in 2003–2004 with the debut of the
Ethnicity
album extending his "One World, One People" philosophy. This album sparked what would become the 4th largest concert tour of the year ranked by
Billboard Magazine.
On May 6, 2004, the regents of the University of Minnesota conferred upon Yanni the honorary degree of
Doctor of Humane Letters.
He kicked off his 2004–2005 "Yanni Live!" tour at
Mandalay Bay in
Las Vegas,
Nevada, and his next live album and video,
Yanni Live! The Concert Event
was released in 2006.
On March 6, 2006, Yanni was arrested after a fight with his girlfriend, Silvia Barthes. On March 31, 2006, the domestic abuse charges against Yanni were dropped.
[9]
In 2008, in collaboration with producer
Ric Wake, Yanni showcased vocal artists singing his songs on
Yanni Voices
.
[10] On March 24, 2009, Disney Pearl Imprint released
Yanni Voices
, the artist's first studio album in six years, and its Buena Vista Concerts division produces the tour that began in April 2009.
[11]
Autobiography
thumb
Yanni's autobiography,
Yanni in Words
, co-authored by David Rensin, was released in February 2003. It is a memoir which includes information about his early childhood in Greece, his college years in
Minnesota, his success as an international music artist with his exploration into the creative process by which he composes, and his nine-year relationship with actress
Linda Evans. The book coincided with the release his 13th album
Ethnicity
and was a
New York Times
best seller.
Discography
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Studio albums
- 1984 Optimystique
- 1986 Keys to Imagination
- 1987 Out of Silence
- 1988 Chameleon Days
- 1989 Niki Nana
- 1990 Reflections of Passion
- 1991 In Celebration of Life
- 1992 Dare to Dream
- 1993 In My Time
- 2000 If I Could Tell You
- 2003 Ethnicity
- 2009 Yanni Voices
and Yanni Voces
(Spanish Version)
Live albums/videography
- 1994 Yanni Live at the Acropolis
- 1995 Yanni Live at Royal Albert Hall
- 1996 Yanni One on One
- 1997 Tribute
- 2006 Yanni Live! The Concert Event
- 2009 Yanni Voices
Soundtracks
- 1988 Steal the Sky
- 1988 Heart of Midnight
- 1989 I Love You Perfect
- 1990 She'll Take Romance
- 1990 When You Remember Me
- 1990 Children of the Bride
- 1994 Hua qi Shao Lin
Compilations
- 1992 Romantic Moments
, BMG
- 1997 Devotion (The Best of Yanni)
, Private Music
- 1997 ''Port of Mystery
- 1997 In The Mirror
, Private Music
- 1997 ''Someday
- 1999 The Private Years
, Private Music
- 1999 Love Songs
, RCA Victor
- 1999 Winter Light
- 2000 Snowfall
- 2000 The Very Best of Yanni
(2000-10), Windham Hill Records, RCA Victor
- 2003 Ultimate Yanni
Other credits
- 1988 A Thousand Summers
(A John Tesh recording in which Yanni was credited as a performer.)
- 1991 Polar Shift
(benefit compilation featuring one original Yanni track)
- 1997 Pure Moods
- 1999 John Tesh and Friends
Concert tours
- 1987: Out of Silence
- 1988: Chameleon Days
- 1990: Reflections of Passion
- 1991: Revolution in Sound
- 1992: Dare to Dream
- 1993: Yanni Live, The Symphony Concerts 1993
- 1994: Yanni Live, The Symphony Concerts 1994
- 1995: Yanni Live, The Symphony Concerts 1995
- 1997: Tribute
- 2003–4: Ethnicity
- 2004–5: Yanni Live!
- 2008–9: Yanni Voices
References
- Yanni Career Highlights
- Yanni in Words
- Charlie Adams Official bio
- Yanni Live at the Acropolis
- Windham Hill
- The Mozart Effect
- Yanni in Words
- Interview with Armen Anassian from the ''Toledo Blade''
- Title Unavailable
- Title Unavailable
- Yanni Brings 'Voices' To Disney