Yanni
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| Yanni | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Yiannis Hrysomallis (or Chrysomallis) |
| Born | November 14, 1954 |
| Origin | Kalamata, Greece |
| Genre(s) | Contemporary instrumental, New Age |
| Occupation(s) | Composer Pianist |
| Instrument(s) | Piano Keyboard |
| Years active | c. 1980–present |
| Label(s) | Private Music/Windham Hill Virgin Records Image Entertainment |
| Website | www.yanni.com |
Yanni (born Yiannis Hrysomallis, classical transcription Chrysomallis), Greek: Γιάννης Χρυσομάλλης, on November 14, 1954 in Kalamata, Greece) is a self-taught pianist, keyboardist, and composer. Yanni left his homeland at the age of 18 to attend the University of Minnesota. 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. After playing keyboards in local rock bands such as Chameleon, he moved to California in pursuit of movie soundtrack work. In 1987, he put together a small band which included long-time bandmate Charlie Adams, and John Tesh, and began touring to promote his earliest instrumental albums, Keys to Imagination, Out of Silence, and Chameleon Days. He later earned Grammy nominations for his 1992 album, Dare to Dream, and the 1993 follow-up, In My Time. His breakthrough success came with the release of Yanni Live at the Acropolis, a concert filmed on September 25, 1993 at the Herod Atticus Theater in Athens, Greece, deemed to be the second best-selling music video of all time.[1] A composition from this release, "Acroyali/Standing in Motion" has been found to have the "Mozart Effect".[2] Yanni has since performed live in concert before in excess of two million people in more than 20 countries around the world. His North American concert tours in 1995, 1998 and 2003-5 each finished in the Top 10 concert tours of the year. He has accumulated more than 35 platinum and gold albums globally, with sales totaling over 20 million copies.[1] Considered to be one of the top fundraisers of all time for public television, 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. Yanni's compositions have been included in all Olympic Games television broadcasts since 1988,[1] and his music has been used extensively in television and televised sporting events. In 1997, he became one of the few performers allowed to perform at the Taj Mahal, India. His most recent live concert film, Yanni Live! The Concert Event, was released in 2006.
On May 06, 2004, the regents of the University of Minnesota conferred upon Yanni the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Yanni is a self-taught pianist who began his musical career by giving recitals for family members. Early in his life, he was also a competitive swimmer in Greece and set a national record in the 50-meter freestyle competition.[3] He later attended the University of Minnesota and earned a B.A. in psychology. After graduation, Yanni chose to attempt a career in music, although he could not read music and had no formal training. Using his own form of musical shorthand, he began writing original works.
[edit] Chameleon Days
While a student at the University of Minnesota, Yanni joined an up-and-coming local group called Chameleon where he met drummer Charlie Adams.[3] Chameleon earned some modest commercial success touring throughout the Midwest, particularly in the states of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois and South Dakota.
[edit] 1980s
Eventually, Yanni grew tired of the rock and roll lifestyle and focused solely on his instrumental career as a soloist. He moved to Los Angeles and eventually formed a small band including Charlie Adams and John Tesh. His music is frequently described as "new age", though he prefers the term "contemporary instrumental".[3]
[edit] 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.[4]
[edit] Live at the Acropolis
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Acroyali/Standing in Motion This composition from the album Yanni Live at the Acropolis was determined to have the "Mozart Effect", by the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine because it was similar to Mozart's K 448 in tempo, structure, melodic and harmonic consonance and predictability.[2][5] - Problems playing the files? See media help.
Yanni's breakthrough commercial success came with the release of his album and video, Yanni Live at the Acropolis, which was filmed on September 23, 1993 at the 2,000-year-old Herod Atticus Theater in Athens, Greece,[6] 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.[7] 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.[1] 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.[2][5]
[edit] Tribute
In March of 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."[8] 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.[8]
[edit] 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 06, 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, Florida police say that Yanni was arrested after a fight with his girlfriend, Silvia Barthes, who locked herself in a bathroom and called the police. Yanni faced a domestic battery charge after allegedly grabbing her arms and shaking her, throwing her on the bed, and jumping on top of her.
In a statement, Yanni said, "These allegations are cruel, false, without merit and baseless," said the statement released by his manager, Danny O'Donovan. "At a more appropriate time and place, I hope and pray I will have an opportunity to address my fans and colleagues all over the world." [9]
On March 31, 2006, Fox News announced that the Palm Beach Post reported that the domestic abuse charges against Yanni were dropped. Prosecutors in Palm Beach County declined to comment on why the charges against the 51-year-old pianist were withdrawn, the Post reported. [10]
As of October 2007, it has been announced that Yanni and producer Ric Wake are working together in the studio producing new music and collaborating with prodigy singer/songwriters to put them in the most creative environment possible to reach their full potential.
[edit] Autobiography
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 soon declared a New York Times Bestseller.
[edit] Further reading
- University of Minnesota News: Yanni honored at UMAA annual event
- Speech by Yanni Chryssomallis, May 06, 2004, University of Minnesota Alumni Association
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albums
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"Santorini" from the album Yanni Live at the Acropolis "In the Morning Light" from the album In My Time "Tribute" from the album Tribute "The End of August" from the album In My Time "Nostalgia" from the album Yanni Live at the Acropolis - Problems playing the files? See media help.
- 1980 Optimystique (re-released in 1984)
- 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
[edit] 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
[edit] 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
[edit] Compilations
- 1992 Romantic Moments, BMG
- 1997 Devotion (The Best of Yanni), Private Music
- 1997 In The Mirror, Private Music
- 1999 The Private Years, Private Music
- 1999 Love Songs, RCA Victor
[edit] Other credits
- 1988 A Thousand Summers
(A John Tesh recording in which Yanni was credited as a performer.} - 1997 Pure Moods
- 1999 John Tesh and Friends
[edit] 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!
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Yanni Career Highlights (PDF). yanni.com. Retrieved on 2006-12-21.
- ^ a b c The Mozart Effect. epilepsy.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-07.
- ^ a b c Yanni; Rensin, David (2002). Yanni in Words. Miramax Books. ISBN 1-4013-5194-8.
- ^ Charlie Adams Official bio. charlieadams.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-17.
- ^ a b Yanni; Rensin, David (2002). Yanni in Words. Miramax Books, 67. ISBN 1-4013-5194-8.
- ^ (1994) Album notes for Yanni Live at the Acropolis by Yanni [CD liner]. Private Music.
- ^ Windham Hill. Retrieved on 2007-01-01.
- ^ a b c Interview with Armen Anassian from the Toledo Blade. serve.com (1998-02-01). Retrieved on 2007-11-14.
- ^ Yanni Arrested In Florida.
- ^ Domestic Abuse Charges Against Yanni Dropped.
[edit] External links
- Official Website
- Official MySpace page
- Yanni at Veras Communications
- Yanni at Allmusic
- Yanni at Discogs
- Yanni discography at MusicBrainz
- Yanni at the Internet Movie Database
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