Yanni Live at the Acropolis
Encyclopedia
Yanni Live at the Acropolis, is the name of both an album and video by contemporary instrumental musician Yanni
Yanni
Yanni , born Yiannis Hrysomallis is a Greek self-taught pianist, keyboardist, and composer who has spent most of his life in the United States.He earned Grammy nominations for his 1992 album, Dare to Dream, and the 1993 follow-up, In My Time...

, recorded live at the Herodes Atticus Theatre
Odeon of Herodes Atticus
The Odeon of Herodes Atticus is a stone theatre structure located on the south slope of the Acropolis of Athens. It was built in 161 AD by Herodes Atticus in memory of his wife, Aspasia Annia Regilla...

, Athens, Greece, on September 25, 1993, and released in 1994. (see 1994 in music
1994 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1994.-January–February:*January 25 – Alice in Chains release their Jar of Flies album which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming the first ever EP to do so....

 and 1994 in film
1994 in film
1994 was a significant year in film.The top grosser worldwide was The Lion King, which to date stands as the highest-grossing traditionally-animated film of all time...

). This album peaked at #1 on "Billboard's "Top New Age Albums" chart and at #5 on the "Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

" chart in the same year. The film spent 229 weeks on Billboard's "Top Music Video" charts and "Top VHS sales" charts, and received an Emmy nomination in 1994 for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Drama Series, Variety Series, Miniseries or a Special".

In a three-year television deal with PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....

, the live television special was one of the top fundraising subjects for PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....

, raising $13 million, with more than 750,000 home videos and more than 7 million albums sold worldwide. It has been seen in 65 countries by half a billion people, has almost continuously remained on the charts since its release, and is the second best-selling music video of all time, (behind Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...

's video for Thriller
Thriller (music video)
Michael Jackson's Thriller is a 14-minute music video for the song of the same name released on December 2, 1983 and directed by John Landis, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Jackson....

with nine million units).

The composition, Acroyali/Standing in Motion, from this album, was determined to have the "Mozart Effect
Mozart effect
The Mozart effect can refer to: * A set of research results that indicate that listening to Mozart's music may induce a short-term improvement on the performance of certain kinds of mental tasks known as "spatial-temporal...

", by the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine because it was similar to Mozart's
K 448
Sonata for Two Pianos in D major (Mozart)
The Sonata for Two Pianos in D major, K. 448 is a piano work composed in 1781 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, at 25 years of age. It is written in strict sonata-allegro form, with three movements. The sonata was composed for a performance he would give with fellow pianist Josephine von Aurnhammer...

 in tempo, structure, melodic and harmonic consonance and predictability.

The corresponding concert tour of the year was "Yanni Live, The Symphony Concerts 1994".

Performance

This was Yanni's first live album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...

 and utilizes the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra under the supervision of conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...

 Shahrdad Rohani, in addition to his core band. Yanni said, "Ever since I left Greece more than two decades ago, it has been my dream to return and perform at the Acropolis. This project took more than a year and a half to plan and accomplish, and I would like to thank my band and crew, and the scores of people involved in helping my dream become a reality".

In a 2004 interview, drummer Charlie Adams
Charlie Adams (drummer)
Charlie Adams is an American drummer, percussionist, drum engineer, composer, music producer, and film producer. He formed the rock band Chameleon in the 1980s, and was known for his revolving, upside-down drum set. He has been drum lead for Yanni through nine major concert tours...

 was asked to point out which shows stood out in his mind in the last 25+ years of working with Yanni. Adams replied, "Obviously the most exciting one for me was Live at the Acropolis. Playing in front of over 10,000 people every night, right below the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. The thing that made it so exciting was it was the first time for Yanni to be playing at home in front of his fellow Greek citizens it made you feel warm in the heart for him. Also, I was playing a drum solo in front of a majority of people who did not speak English yet responded to my drums, I really felt that the drums communicated with them, you know. Like drumming and music is in fact an international language. A great experience that will stay with me the rest of my life."

Similarly, keyboardist Bradley Joseph
Bradley Joseph
Bradley Joseph is an American composer, arranger, and producer of contemporary instrumental music. His compositions include works for orchestra, quartet, and solo piano, while his musical style ranges from "quietly pensive mood music to a rich orchestration of classical depth and breadth".Active...

 recounts, "When I reflect back over the years, one of the high points that stand out include performing at the Acropolis with Yanni. Imagine all these different cultures coming together with the challenges of language, equipment, travel, and weather problems. I still picture the police running their dogs through the dressing rooms to sniff out any bomb possibilities right before the show. People still come up to me and comment how that show has affected their lives."

From this appearance and others with Yanni, violinist Karen Briggs
Karen Briggs
Karen Briggs, is an American violinist. She was born in New York City and grew up in Portsmouth, Virginia. Taking violin lessons from an early age, Briggs attended Norfolk State University after graduating from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1981. There, she majored in music education and mass media...

 gained the title "The Lady in Red".

Critical reception

Reviewing for Allmusic, Jonathan Widran writes, "It's no surprise that Yanni is most identified with this amazingly powerful experience (also presented as one of PBS' most popular concerts ever), because it seems like the musical project he was most destined to make. After making millions stateside, he returns to the historic ancient Acropolis of his Greek homeland to share his sweeping music with his countrymen. One of the most impressive aspects of Yanni in this live setting is the way his beautiful piano passages blend with the occasional boom of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Shardad Rohani)."
Widran goes on to say, "Whereas it's easy to complain that his studio recordings are over-reliant on synthesized strings, here it's the real deal. 'Santorini' epitomizes the musical balance, opening with several minutes of percussive string fanfare, then allowing Yanni to be simply expressive on the acoustic piano as the orchestra tones down and provides a caress of accompaniment. 'Until the Last Moment' flows along tenderly with the same effect. Even songs like 'Keys to the Imagination', which are played on synth, are taken to more emotional levels with the dramatic swells of the orchestra. The concert features its share of familiar tunes ('Swept Away', 'Reflections of Passion'), but surprises in spots with more drawn out, thoughtful dishes of exotica like 'Acroyali/Standing in Motion', which begins with atmosphere and chime effects, then evolves into an adventurous orchestral and synth explosion more ambitious than anything Yanni has attempted on his studio recordings. The sticker on the original disc release also informs listeners that it's recorded in 48-track digital sound. The same sticker calls it the event of a lifetime. It's an amazing concert, but more the core event of Yanni's life and career than anyone listening to this recording."

Album

This album peaked at #1 on "Billboard's "Top New Age Albums" chart and at #5 on the "Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

" chart in the same year.

Track listing

  1. "Santorini" — 6:57
  2. "Keys to Imagination" — 7:35
  3. "Until the Last Moment" — 6:37
  4. "The Rain Must Fall" — 7:24
  5. "Acroyali/Standing in Motion" (Medley) — 8:51
  6. "One Man's Dream" — 3:36
  7. "Within Attraction" — 7:46
  8. "Nostalgia" — 5:46
  9. "Swept Away" — 9:22
  10. "Reflections of Passion" — 5:22

RIAA certification

Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...

 (RIAA) Gold and Platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...

 database entries:
  • (G=Gold, P=Platinum, M=Multi-Platinum)

  • YANNI LIVE AT THE ACROPOLIS 05/05/94 PRIVATE MUSIC P ALBUM SOLO Std
  • YANNI LIVE AT THE ACROPOLIS 05/05/94 PRIVATE MUSIC G ALBUM SOLO Std
  • YANNI LIVE AT THE ACROPOLIS 09/28/94 PRIVATE MUSIC M (2) ALBUM SOLO Std
  • YANNI LIVE AT THE ACROPOLIS 03/28/95 PRIVATE MUSIC M (3) ALBUM SOLO Std
  • YANNI LIVE AT THE ACROPOLIS 04/23/98 PRIVATE MUSIC M (4) ALBUM SOLO Std

Film

The film version, released in 1994, was broadcast throughout the U.S. on public television
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....

 and was one of the top fundraising subjects for PBS. It was seen in 65 countries by half a billion people, and 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.

The video production received an Emmy nomination in 1994 for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Drama Series, Variety Series, Miniseries or a Special". This accomplishment was credited to Lee Rose (lighting director/designer), Richard Ocean (lighting director/designer), and David 'Gurn' Kaniski (lighting director/designer).

Katie Tamms of Allmovie writes, "Before a sold-out crowd on September 24, 1993, new age musical artist Yanni, accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, performed the first of three historic concerts at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. Himself a native of Kalamata, Greece, Yanni had returned to perform in his homeland after more than 20 years in America. This video production, headed by award-winning director George Veras, includes a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the live video, as well as backstage interviews with Yanni and some of his musical entourage."

Track listing

  1. "Santorini"
  2. "Until the Last Moment"
  3. "Keys to Imagination"
  4. "The Rain Must Fall"
  5. "Felitsa"
  6. "Within Attraction"
  7. "One Man's Dream"
  8. "Marching Season"
  9. "Nostalgia"
  10. "Acroyali"
  11. "Aria"
  12. "Reflections of Passion"
  13. "Swept Away"
  14. "The End of August"

RIAA certification

Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) Gold and Platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...

 database entries::
  • (G=Gold, P=Platinum, M=Multi-Platinum)
  • YANNI LIVE AT THE ACROPOLIS 05/05/94 PRIVATE MUSIC P VIDEO LONGFORM SOLO Std
  • YANNI LIVE AT THE ACROPOLIS 05/05/94 PRIVATE MUSIC G VIDEO LONGFORM SOLO Std
  • YANNI LIVE AT THE ACROPOLIS 08/30/94 PRIVATE MUSIC M (2) VIDEO LONGFORM SOLO Std
  • YANNI LIVE AT THE ACROPOLIS 09/13/94 PRIVATE MUSIC M (3) VIDEO LONGFORM SOLO Std
  • YANNI LIVE AT THE ACROPOLIS 03/28/95 PRIVATE MUSIC M (5) VIDEO LONGFORM SOLO Std
  • YANNI LIVE AT THE ACROPOLIS 04/22/98 PRIVATE MUSIC M (6) VIDEO LONGFORM SOLO Std

Personnel

  • All music composed and produced by Yanni
    Yanni
    Yanni , born Yiannis Hrysomallis is a Greek self-taught pianist, keyboardist, and composer who has spent most of his life in the United States.He earned Grammy nominations for his 1992 album, Dare to Dream, and the 1993 follow-up, In My Time...

    , except "Aria", which is based on The Flower Duet
    The Flower Duet
    The Flower Duet is a famous duet for sopranos from Léo Delibes' opera Lakmé, first performed in Paris in 1883. The duet takes place in Act 1 of the three act opera, between characters Lakmé, the daughter of a Brahmin priest, and her servant Mallika, as they go to gather flowers by a river...

    , from the Léo Delibes opera Lakmé
    Lakmé
    Lakmé is an opera in three acts by Léo Delibes to a French libretto by Edmond Gondinet and Philippe Gille. Delibes wrote the score during 1881–82 with its first performance on 14 April 1883 at the Opéra Comique in Paris. Set in British India in the mid 19th century, Lakmé is based on the 1880 novel...

    , and popularized by various British Airways
    British Airways
    British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...

     TV commercials
  • Orchestra
    Orchestra
    An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...

    : The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra (London, England)
  • Conductor
    Conducting
    Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...

    : Shardad Rohani
    Shardad Rohani
    Shahrdad Rohani is an Iranian composer, violinist/pianist, and conductor.- Musical career :His style is contemporary and he is well known for composing and conducting classical, film as well as pop music...


Band

  • Charlie Adams
    Charlie Adams (drummer)
    Charlie Adams is an American drummer, percussionist, drum engineer, composer, music producer, and film producer. He formed the rock band Chameleon in the 1980s, and was known for his revolving, upside-down drum set. He has been drum lead for Yanni through nine major concert tours...

     — drums
  • Karen Briggs
    Karen Briggs
    Karen Briggs, is an American violinist. She was born in New York City and grew up in Portsmouth, Virginia. Taking violin lessons from an early age, Briggs attended Norfolk State University after graduating from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1981. There, she majored in music education and mass media...

     — violin
  • Michael "Kalani" Bruno
    Kalani
    Kalani, is an American classically trained percussionist, clinician, performer, author, and educator. He is a frequent keynote speaker and presenter at national and international conferences and is a certified Orff Schulwerk specialist...

     — percussion
  • Ric Fierabracci
    Ric Fierabracci
    Ric Fierabracci, is an American bass guitarist who has toured and/or recorded with such artists as Frank Gambale, Chick Corea, Sir Tom Jones, Dave Weckl, Bradley Joseph, Shakira, Nancy Sinatra, Planet X, The 5th Dimension, The Beach Boys, and Yanni...

     — bass guitar
  • Julie Homi
    Julie Homi
    Julie Homi, born in London, England and raised in the American midwest, is a classically-trained pianist/keyboardist who has toured with Robert Palmer, Martin Page, Maria Muldaur, Angela Bofill, Kalani, Tracy Chapman, Shirley Bassey, Peter Cetera, Holly Near, and Yanni for whom she performed during...

     — keyboards
  • Bradley Joseph
    Bradley Joseph
    Bradley Joseph is an American composer, arranger, and producer of contemporary instrumental music. His compositions include works for orchestra, quartet, and solo piano, while his musical style ranges from "quietly pensive mood music to a rich orchestration of classical depth and breadth".Active...

     — keyboards
  • Violin duet on "Within Attraction" — Karen Briggs
    Karen Briggs
    Karen Briggs, is an American violinist. She was born in New York City and grew up in Portsmouth, Virginia. Taking violin lessons from an early age, Briggs attended Norfolk State University after graduating from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1981. There, she majored in music education and mass media...

     and Shardad Rohani
    Shardad Rohani
    Shahrdad Rohani is an Iranian composer, violinist/pianist, and conductor.- Musical career :His style is contemporary and he is well known for composing and conducting classical, film as well as pop music...

  • Vocalists for "Aria" — Darlene Koldenhoven
    Darlene Koldenhoven
    Darlene Koldenhoven is an American singer/songwriter, arranger, keyboardist, record producer, author, actor, motivational speaker, and music therapist...

     and Lynn Davis
    Lynn Davis (singer)
    Lynn Davis, is an American singer/vocalist who has toured and/or recorded with many artists such as George Duke, Marvin Gaye, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Tracie Spencer, Mooney Suzuki, Mariah Carey, Marilyn Manson, Whitney Houston, Thomas Anders, Meat Loaf, and Yanni for whom she appears on the live...


Production

  • Recorded by Andy Rose.
  • Engineered and mixed by Yanni
    Yanni
    Yanni , born Yiannis Hrysomallis is a Greek self-taught pianist, keyboardist, and composer who has spent most of his life in the United States.He earned Grammy nominations for his 1992 album, Dare to Dream, and the 1993 follow-up, In My Time...

     at his private studios.
  • Mastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Los Angeles.
  • Orchestrations by Shardad Rohani
    Shardad Rohani
    Shahrdad Rohani is an Iranian composer, violinist/pianist, and conductor.- Musical career :His style is contemporary and he is well known for composing and conducting classical, film as well as pop music...

    , Jeffrey Silverman and John Rinehimer
  • Transcriptions and arrangement preparation by Richard Boukas and Shahrdad Rohani.
  • All music published by 23rd Street Publishing, Inc./YanniWorks, administered worldwide by 23rd Street Publishing, Inc. (ASCAP)
  • Art Direction and Design by Norman Moore
  • Photography by Lynn Goldsmith

External links

  • Official Website
  • Yanni Live at the Acropolis at Allmovie
  • Yanni Live at the Acropolis at Discogs
    Discogs
    Discogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...

  • Yanni Live at the Acropolis at Last.fm
    Last.fm
    Last.fm is a music website, founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. It has claimed 30 million active users in March 2009. On 30 May 2007, CBS Interactive acquired Last.fm for UK£140m ....

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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