Yanni


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For other uses, see Yannis (disambiguation).
Yanni
Birth name Yiannis Hrysomallis
Born November 14, 1954 (age 54)
Origin Kalamata, Greece
Genre(s) Contemporary instrumental, New Age
Occupation(s) Composer
Pianist
Instrument(s) Piano
Keyboard
Years active 1980–present
Label(s) Private Music/Windham Hill
Virgin Records
Image Entertainment
Yanni Wake/Disney Pearl Series
Associated acts Chameleon
Website www.yanni.com
Notable instrument(s)
piano, synthesizer, keyboard
Yanni (born Yiannis Hrysomallis ( Pronounced Chrysomallis ), (Greek: ??????? ???????????, 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.[1] Yanni is considered to be one of the top fundraisers of all time for public television. His compositions have been included in all Olympic Games television broadcasts since 1988, and his music has been used extensively in television and televised sporting events. His music is frequently described as "new age", though he prefers the term "contemporary instrumental".[2] The regents of the University of Minnesota conferred upon Yanni the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.
Contents [hide]
1 Biography
1.1 Early life
1.2 1990s
1.3 2000s
2 Autobiography
3 Discography
3.1 Studio albums
3.2 Live albums/videography
3.3 Soundtracks
3.4 Compilations
3.5 Other credits
4 Concert tours
5 References
6 External links
[edit]Biography

[edit]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.
[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.[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,[1] (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."[ 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 .
[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 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]
[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 a New York Times best seller.
[edit]Discography


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.[6][7]
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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
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[edit]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)
[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
2009 Yanni Voices
[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 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
[edit]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
[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!
2008–9: Yanni Voices