It was in the early 1980s that Iranians were introduced to Yanni, the famous Greek composer who specialized in playing the piano and keyboard, and known as one of the pioneers of the New Age music.
His CD ‘Yanni Live at the Acropolis’ concert, sold in 65 countries with close to a billion people enjoying the show.
Recently word spread about this self-taught musician, who never learnt music academically and knows nothing of solfege - a music education method used to teach pitch and sight singing - indicating that there are plans to hold his concert in Iran.
Fars news agency conducted an interview with Yanni, excerpts of which are as follows:
On the possibility of his presence in Tehran, Yanni expressed strong desire for such a big event. “I have met a lot of Iranian fans at my concerts all across the globe. Moreover, I am in touch with them through Facebook and other social networks, so Iran and its people mean a lot to me and it would be a dream come true if there is a chance of a live concert in Iran,” he said.
Stressing that the media does not necessarily give a true image of a nation, Yanni said the only way to know a country is to visit it. “I have been to more than 30 countries and have gained first-hand experience by visiting different places and people. All I can say is I hope I can visit Iran.”
On holding concerts at historical sites, Yanni said they add a magical element to his performance. Pointing to the numerous historical monuments in Iran, he said he has always been interested in Persepolis and its importance in the history of Iran; however, up to now, there has been no special plan to have a concert there.”
Cooperation
Yanni has cooperated with the Iranian musician/composer Shahrdad Rohani. “Our first cooperation was in ‘Yanni Live at the Acropolis’ concert. We were in search of a great international orchestra prior to the concert and the time was ticking away. We were fortunate to have the London Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to come to Greece at the last moment. Shahrdad was its conductor and did a great job coordinating the musicians with my pieces. Besides, with his incredible sense of music, Shahrdad had a major role in the success of the concert playing the violin.”
Born in 1954, Yiannis Chryssomallis, known professionally as Yanni, has popularized the combination of electronic music synthesizers with a full scale symphony orchestra. He has employed musicians of various nationalities and has incorporated a variety of exotic instruments to create music that has been called an eclectic fusion of ethnic sounds. Influenced by his encounters with cultures around the world, Yanni has been called a “True Global Artist” and his music is said to reflect his “one world, one people” philosophy.
His breakthrough concert at the Acropolis yielded the second best-selling music video of all time. Additional historic sites for Yanni’s concerts have included India’s Taj Mahal, China’s Forbidden City, the United Arab Emirates’ Burj Khalifa, Russia’s Kremlin, Puerto Rico’s El Morro castle, Lebanon’s ancient city of Byblos, Tunisia’s Roman Theatre of Carthage, and India’s Laxmi Vilas Palace. At least 14 of Yanni’s albums have peaked at No. 1 in Billboard’s ‘Top New Age Album’ category, and two albums received Grammy Award nominations.
