Yanni

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Yanni 2007

Yiannis Hryssomallis (born November 14, 1954 in Kalamata ; actually Greek Γιάννης Χρυσομάλλης Giannis Chrysomallis ), known by his stage name Yanni , is a Greek composer, pianist, keyboard player and music producer.

Yanni mainly composes instrumental works. Since his special form of music, a mixture of jazz , classical, rock and world music , did not seem suitable for pop-heavy music and radio broadcasts, Yanni gained international recognition by hosting concerts at historic buildings and producing videos that were shown on public television . The concert that gave him his breakthrough, Yanni Live at the Acropolis , became the second-best-selling music video of all time. Other historical places for Yanni's concerts were the Taj Mahal ( India ), the Forbidden City ( China ), Burj Khalifa ( United Arab Emirates ), the Kremlin (Russia) and El Morro Castle (Puerto Rico).

Fourteen of his albums reached number 1 on the Billboard charts in the " New Age " category , and two albums ( Dare to Dream and In My Time ) were nominated for a Grammy . By the end of 2011, Yanni had given live concerts to more than two million people in more than 20 countries around the world, had more than 35 platinum and gold albums worldwide and had sold over 20 million records. His compositions were broadcast by z. B. Used in sporting events such as the Tour de France ; he also wrote film music and composed for a British Airways television commercial .

Yanni employs musicians of various nationalities and integrates a variety of instruments from all over the world. Influenced by his encounters with other cultures, his music is considered an expression of his “ one world ” philosophy.

Childhood and youth

Yanni showed his musical talent at the age of 6 when he played the pianoforte (piano). His parents encouraged him to study at his own pace and in his own way, and without professional music lessons. To this day, Yanni uses the “musical shorthand” he developed instead of the traditional music notation.

In November 1972 Yanni moved from Greece to the USA, where he began studying psychology at the University of Minnesota in January 1973 and earned his living as a dishwasher. He later explained that the only reason he did well on tests was because learning English forced him to read each paragraph several times. In 1976 Yanni graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology.

During his student days, Yanni played in a local rock band and improved his piano and keyboard skills.

Musician career

In 1977, Yanni joined the Minneapolis rock group Chameleon, where he worked with band founder and drummer Charlie Adams. After leaving the band, he moved to Los Angeles, where he wanted to work on film music.

1980s to early 1990s: career start and recognition

In 1980 Yanni recorded his first album, Optimystique , which was re-released twice: in 1984 by Atlantic Records and in 1989 by Private Music.

Yanni formed a band in 1987, u. a. with pianist and singer John Tesh and Charlie Adams as drummers, and toured in 1988 to promote his early albums.

Yanni gained notoriety through his appearances on People Magazine and the Oprah Winfrey Show with actress Linda Evans , with whom he was dating since 1989. His appearances on public television, the sales records of his albums and the well-attended concerts earned him recognition that survived the separation from Evans.

The album Dare to Dream (1992) was Yanni's first album to be nominated for a Grammy. It contained Aria, a song based on Léo Delibes ' floral duet from his opera Lakmé , made famous by a British Airways commercial. The second Grammy nomination received the 1993 album In My Time .

1990s: Acropolis, world fame, depression and a new beginning

The concert with which Yanni made his breakthrough, Yanni Live at the Acropolis, and which he gave in September 1993 at the Acropolis in the Odeon of Herodes Atticus together with an orchestra under the direction of the Iranian conductor Shardad Rohani, was released in 1994 as an album and video released. Acropolis was Yanni's first live album, on which the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra can be heard in addition to the actual band .

Yanni invested two million dollars in the Acropolis production. The resulting video was seen by half a billion viewers in 65 countries. It became the second best-selling music video after Michael Jackson's Thriller , selling more than seven million copies worldwide.

In March 1997, Yanni was one of the few western artists to receive the honor of performing and filming at the Taj Mahal in India. This event was followed by performances in the Forbidden City in China in May 1997, making Yanni the first Western artist allowed to perform at this historic site in modern times. These two events formed the live album and live video Tribute, which were released in November 1997.

Armen Anassian, violinist and conductor in Yanni's Tribute Orchestra, admitted that he had doubts about the artist's plans to go to the Taj Mahal and the Forbidden City: "To be honest, when he said about it a few years ago spoke, the idea was fantastic. Personally, I was very skeptical, for understandable reasons. But the truth is, it happened. We did it. " Anassian describes Yanni as "very optimistic" and has stated that "nothing really shakes him". This impression is of course carried over to his music. "I don't think that's his goal. He's very honest with his own feelings. His music really comes from the heart. He writes music calmly, the music is made with relative calmness. That the music makes the listener feel good is a by-product. It just overlaps with what people like to hear. "

After the negotiations that were necessary to appear in 1997 in the Taj Mahal and the Forbidden City, the separation from Linda Evans in early 1998 and after completing a long world tour in late 1998, Yanni stopped his music career. He later admitted that he had become depressed and returned to Greece to live with his parents before setting off on a trip around the world three months later. He did not give any interviews for two years and later stated, "I have traveled. I wanted to see other people's life views, to escape the American dream."

2000s to 2010: New perspectives

After a two-year hiatus, Yanni released If I could tell you in 2000 , his first studio album in seven years. In the first week the album sold 55,000 copies and landed at number 20 on the Billboard charts .

The music on the Ethnicity album (2003) represented many of the world's cultures. On October 23, 2003, Yanni played an instrumental version of the American anthem before Game 5 of the 2003 World Series .

The live album and live video Yanni Live! The Concert Event (2006) was the fourth best-selling new age album on the Billboard charts in 2006 and 2007.

For the first time in his career, Yanni brought singers to the stage as the main actors in Yanni Voices, a project with Ric Wake. Yanni carefully selected singers Chloe Lowery , Ender Thomas , Leslie Mills and Nathan Pacheco . The resulting album was released on March 24, 2009 by Walt Disney Records and reached number 2 on the Billboard charts in 2009 and number 5 of the best-selling New Age albums in 2010.

2010s: New sound design, return to world tours

The album Truth of Touch was released in February 2011 and became the best-selling New Age album in 2011. The album contained instrumental music combined with electronic and cinematic influences, supplemented by elements of pop, new age and world music. Three of the fifteen tracks on the primarily instrumental album contained vocal interludes by singers who had already been involved with Yanni Voices .

In 2011 Yanni toured the USA, Canada, Eastern Europe and Asia. In December 2011 there followed performances in El Morro Castle in Puerto Rico , which were recorded on CD and DVD and published in 2012.

At the beginning of 2013, Yanni started another world tour.

In 2014 his album Inspirato was released . He re-recorded a number of his songs, accompanied by various opera singers such as Plácido Domingo , Rolando Villazón , Renée Fleming and Pretty Yende .

Participating musicians

Yanni has employed numerous musicians from all over the world in the course of his career; some are on tour with him more often.

His core volume in recent years includes:

  • Charlie Adams (drums)
  • Samvel Yervinyan (violin)
  • Ming Freeman (keyboard)
  • Pedro Eustache (various flutes, saxophones)
  • Victor Espinola (harp, vocals)

Other musicians:

  • Karen Briggs (violin)
  • Walter Rodriguez (percussion)
  • Ramon Flores (trumpet)
  • Dan Landrum (Hammer Dulcimer)
  • Sayaka Katsuki (violin)
  • Lisa Lavie (vocals)


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
  • 1992 Yanni Tribute
  • 1992 Romantic Moments
  • 1993 In My Time
  • 1994 Live at the Acropolis
  • 1997 In the Mirror (international version)
  • 1997 Devotion (The best of Yanni)
  • 1999 Love songs
  • 1999 winter light
  • 2000 If I Could Tell You
  • 2003 ethnicity
  • 2006 Yanni Live !, The Concert Event
  • 2008 Yanni in the Mirror
  • 2009 Yanni Voices
  • 2010 Mexicanísimo
  • 2010 Yanni - The Inspiring Journey
  • 2011 Truth of Touch
  • 2012 Live at El Morro, Puerto Rico
  • 2016 Sensuous Chill

Web links

Commons : Yanni  - collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Yanni
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Giannis Chrysomalis; Yiannis Hrysomallis
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Greek composer, pianist and keyboard player
DATE OF BIRTH November 14, 1954
PLACE OF BIRTH Kalamata