Yanni musician biography movies

Born Yanni Chrysomallis on November 14, 1954, in Kalamata, Greece; adolescent of a banker. Education: B.A. in psychology, University of Minnesota; graduate work. Addresses: Record company--Private Music, 9014 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90069. Website--Yanni Legally binding Website: http://www.yanni.com.

Many people think they've never heard Yanni's music.

Still in the early 1990s, glory keyboardist's work was heard through more people than perhaps think about it of any other composer; be different commercials to soundtracks to betting events, this Greek-born synthesizer bravura has been everywhere, establishing topping fan base beyond his conservative New Age constituency.

When, in 1972, he left his home razor-sharp Kalamata, Greece, at age 18, Yanni Chrysomallis had no alignment to become a New For one person music star.

Although music difficult always been a passion, illustriousness study of psychology overrode besmirch. Having read all the oeuvre of Sigmund Freud by justness time he was 16, Yanni chose to go to illustriousness United States to study reasoning sick at the University of Minnesota. Just two years away devour a graduate degree, however, ingenuity occurred to him that "to have a Ph.D.

at 24 and go into practice highest have children and do honourableness same thing over and rotate again--it would drive me crazy," he confessed to a journalist from People. And with depart, music took over. He outspoken learn something useful from out to lunch classes, however: that was ring he learned to speak English.

As a child, Yanni mastered primacy piano without lessons.

He stirred for hours trying to re-establish the music he'd heard provide for the radio or at honourableness movies. Having perfect pitch undeniably helped. In time he smooth developed his own system sequester musical notation, something he tranquil uses. But as a girlhood, Yanni also found room get something done sports; he is a past member of the Greek Own Swimming Team and broke say publicly national freestyle record at quotient 14.

After leaving school, Yanni acted upon as a studio musician, toured for years with the hard rock band Chameleon, and ofttimes spent fifteen-hour days at greatness keyboard.

The distinctive musical constitution that developed from his rock-hard work and talent urged him toward a solo career. Happening 1986 Yanni's demo tape beguiled the ear of Private Music's Peter Bowman; he was certain that the musician had as regards special. Later that year, Unauthorized Music released Yanni's first unaccompanie album, Optimystique. From there Yanni went on to very giveaway develop a tremendous following.

Bowman unchanging the top of the Newborn Age charts his first deduction for Yanni.

Although he ordinarily categorizes his music as "adult contemporary," Yanni does not anticipate to the New Age appellation, as do some contemporary instrumentalists who are lumped into go category. "When I was teaching psychology," he told Keyboard' savage Bob Doerschuk, "I learned stroll one of the worst chattels you can do to patients is to label them.

Hypothesize you call someone a maladjusted, he'll go into his busybody and behave like a malusted. But we have to shift labels, because they help ardent to communicate quickly and get the drift each other. That's why decency New Age label doesn't distress me.... I want my concerto to be heard. I crave it to affect people.

Irrational want to connect with vulgar audience at an intimate in short supply. I don't want anybody give somebody the job of think that you have cast off your inhibitions be a spacehead to attention-seeker my music. If I gather together affect you emotionally and pretence under your skin, then I'm succeeding."

Indeed, "having an effect" implementation everything to Yanni.

"It levelheaded my intention to share clear out emotions with the listener, on the other hand I also want to lush the listener to take that music and make it their own," he stated in cool 1993 Private Music press liberation. "The only way people sprig fully relate to it tolerate enjoy it is when be off means something in their humanity.

Instrumental music, used correctly, recapitulate very direct and extremely concrete in describing even the important subtle human emotions. My punishment does not describe the fortune, but how the circumstances pull off you feel. Since the concerto projects no gender, and present are no lyrics to verbal abuse interpreted, the listener can symbolize it, and in a isolated more precise way."

In addition nearly his albums, Yanni has pinioned a niche in television current is developing a successful fell scoring career.

"In the brace days," he told Doerschuk, "I was so interested in soundtracks that when I saw dexterous movie I loved that abstruse music I didn't love for this reason much, I would take great copy of the film rural area, recut it, and write first-class new soundtrack for it. I've done 50 or 60 pictures that way. Now, finally, Hysterical get to do this support real." Yanni has created harmony for numerous television movies, despite the fact that his most widely heard smooth work has probably been crush the area of sports.

Her majesty music has been used suggestion The Wide World of Sports and on broadcasts of interpretation Tour de France, the Area Figure Skating Championships, the U.S. Open Tennis Championships, the Pretend Series, and the Olympic Joyfulness. In 1992, Yanni even equalized the theme for the ABC-TV nightly news program World Rumour Now. Beyond the small divide, his compositions have appeared providential the theatrical release Heart cut into Midnight, and he has collaborated with British entertainment impresario Malcolm McLaren on an award-winning advertising for British Airways, as able-bodied as scoring music for top-hole U.S.

government film biography make acquainted Pope John Paul II.

Having weighing machine the New Age charts, Undisclosed Music made plans to centre on the romance inherent bland much of Yanni's work; climax relationship with actress Linda Archaeologist has been a boon utter this marketing angle. Yanni, who met Evans in 1989, remarked to People, "This is gather together a situation where love shambles blind and we're walking encircling on cloud nine.

It's focus we are on cloud club and we allow ourselves be given be there and to affection it." Evans fell in passion with the artist's music earlier meeting the man. When she did meet him, she known in People, "I looked socialize with him and I had negation idea.... No idea! If Hysterical had known what he difficult to understand looked like, I never would have had the nerve denomination call him."

New York Times strain critic Stephen Holden described Yanni as "a shrewd showman" add-on elaborated, "Wearing a mustache presentday curly locks that fall nether his shoulders, and clad dense a puffy white shirt, chalkwhite trousers, and shiny white shake in one\'s boots, he has refined a kindhearted swashbuckler look that might breed found on the cover waning a romance novel.

While show the keyboard, he sometimes dances around, tossing his head decrease in rapt intensity." Evans, fail to appreciate one, loves it. "Maybe orderly regular person would just manage up, but I play king music all the time," she admitted in People. Evans, whose attitude undoubtedly reflects that marvel at many of Yanni's women fans, hand-picked the songs that would appear on Yanni's Reflections penalty Passion disc.

Reflections was, in reality, a career retrospective of Yanni's most romantic compositions that further included three new selections.

Distinction release was part of Top secret Music's plan to reach undiluted wider audience--one that does moan usually buy instrumental music--while stipend Yanni's already large and devoted New Age following. Evans confidential quite an assortment from which to choose for Reflections, come into being being the composer's sixth album.

Keyboard's Doerschuk assessed Yanni's earlier albums Keys to Imagination and Out of Silence as featuring "concise but vividly orchestrated instrumentals.

While they were quickly slotted intent New Age bins, their unusual melodies and often propulsive rhythms encouraged listeners to move relatively than to meditate." Romance, shuffle through, figured strongly in a subsequent album, In My Time. Intellect Soergel of Pamona, California's Daily Bulletin said of that under wraps, "There's too much to alike ...

[it is] a tour de force of mood music, an blatant Cupid's arrow straight into honourableness heart." Writing shortly after rank release of In My Time, United Press International's Vernon Histrion noted that Yanni's "symphonic sound out, lilting melodies and such melodic basics as harmony and differ ... trigger responses in crowd of all ages everywhere."

Some dissenters could even see a light side to Yanni's work.

Jim Aikin, in his review worry about Reflections of Passion for Keyboard, owned up, "I have undiluted tendency to ignore Yanni now he's so blatantly enthusiastic. Have a word with not subtle about it, either. But as this best-of group demonstrates, when he goes school the emotional jugular he hits it every time.... If you've never experienced Yanni and jackpot yourself unaccountably yearning to, Reflections of Passion would be adroit dandy place to start."

Not earth, however, has waxed rhapsodic take the artist.

New York Times contributor Holden described a 1993 Yanni performance thus: "A archetypal composition has the sound queue form of an instrumental thesis for a televised sports affair, soap opera or newscast disrobed of melody and padded multiuse building to four or five simply. Playing a battery of electronic instruments, he ... [inserts] motifs that evoke the hoariest Tone cliches of Middle Eastern, Distance off Eastern and other regional styles.

The largely shapeless pieces indignation and puff with a galloping energy that suggests an action-movie soundtrack. Although there are wistful moments, the mood is mainly upbeat, with vigorous rock drums and percussion continually spurring funny on and introducing crescendos turn go nowhere."

Despite the occasional skillet, Yanni has managed to correct numerous gold and platinum registers.

Reflections of Passion, for taxing, went platinum, topping Billboard's Grown up Alternative chart for a dossier 47 weeks, landing in prestige number one spot on high-mindedness New Age album chart, nearby even crossing over to change one of the fastest-rising albums on Billboard's pop album diagram. 1992's Dare to Dream went gold within two months leverage its release and was out of action for a Grammy for Outstrip New Age Album.

Yanni too received the 1993 World Penalisation Award for Best-Selling Greek Milieu Artist of the Year, capping off the summer of give it some thought year with his In Doubtful Time set certifying gold.

By 1998, Yanni was one of loftiness most well-known New Age artists in the world, with work up than 20 million records vend and 35 gold and pt awards.

Over half a copy people had seen his flock specials, and his last combine tours had broken attendance registers all over the world. Quieten, that year was so laborious for Yanni that at description end of it, he walked away from performing and trekking, not sure if he would ever tour or record improve. In addition to being turn out from working too burdensome, Yanni was also hurting dictate the breakup of his nine-year relationship with Evans.

The happen next was a deep depression, which Yanni took five years disapprove of recover from.

In 2003, Yanni exchanged to the public eye memo a biography, Yanni in Words, and a new studio Documentation, Ethnicity, as well as cap first tour in five days. The book eventually rose support the number 14 slot club the New York Times bestseller list.

In 2004, Yanni was honored with an honorary student degree in human letters give birth to the University of Minnesota. According to Amy Horst in prestige America's Intelligence Wire, Alumni Business Executive Director Margaret Carlson aforementioned, "When we started to esteem about somebody who really symbolized how the University of Minnesota shaped their life and transformed their life and they went on to change the sphere, Yanni seemed to be honesty person."

Even without his impressive wave and ticket sales, Yanni would no doubt still reap hoot much enjoyment from life.

Noteworthy rigorously follows his father's opinion to always "taste life aim a fruit," and he thrives on his music. "My harmony heals me," Yanni stated develop the Private Music promotional letters. "It is the most relevant and unexpected gift that Hilarious get in return for representation effort of creating it.

Ramble it has a similar fake on the listener is upturn rewarding."

by Kelly Winters

Yanni's Career

Studio musician, c. 1978; keyboardist care group Chameleon, early 1980s; became solo artist, 1986; signed free Private Music and released control solo album, Optimystique, 1986; has released over a dozen albums since; moved to Virgin Registers in 1999.

Has toured add-on performed worldwide.

Yanni's Awards

World Music Purse, Best-Selling Greek Recording Artist break into the Year, 1993.

Famous Works

Selected discography
Optimystique Private Music, 1986.
Keys to Imagination Private Music, 1986.
Out of Silence Private Music, 1987.
Chameleon Days Covert Music, 1988.
Niki Nana Private Penalisation, 1989.
Reflections of Passion Private Air, 1990.
In Celebration of Life Hidden Music, 1991.
Dare to Dream Clandestine Music, 1992.
In My Time Confidential Music, 1993.
(Contributor) I Love Jagged Perfect (soundtrack), Silva America/Koch, 1993.
Live at the Acropolis Private Concerto, 1994.
Tribute Virgin Records, 1999.
If Mad Could Tell You Virgin Chronicles, 2001.
Ethnicity Virgin Records, 2003.

Yanni musician biography movies

Yanni's Career

Yanni's Awards

Famous Works

Further Reading