When Yanni's magical night led to a long drive and a strange bedfellow

Facebook recently featured Yanni, the famous Greek musician who had performed at the Taj Mahal in 1997. It said that Yanni’s “Tribute Concert” videos were being re-mastered and restored.  A very popular musician and producer, Yanni had a great many fans who will be thrilled to hear that his albums will be available again.

Yanni was born in November 14, 1954, in Kalamata, Greece, and is the son of banker Sotiri Chryssomallis. He was named Yiannis Chryssomallis, but is better known as Yanni, a Greek composer, keyboardist, pianist and music producer. He has lived in the USA, through his adult life. Yanni writes about “The Tribute”, “It was true 22 years ago and is still true today! Some of the greatest things in life... imagination, creativity, love, kindness, compassion, integrity... are available to everyone... because they’re all inside us — Yanni.” His words make sense even in today’s chaotic world.

It was in March 1997 and the weather in Delhi was beginning to get quite hot, that we heard about Yanni’s concert in Agra — the news spreading like wildfire, everyone seemed to be a Yanni fan! I had somehow managed a pass for the Yanni concert scheduled at the Taj Mahal in Agra. The concert was for three days, but I had to report on the opening concert in a leading newspaper. Having left booking a room to the last, I discovered that I had a major problem on my hands. Every hotel was fully booked and there were no rooms to be had in Agra. Yanni was a very popular musician at the time and naturally no one was going to miss this concert. Hoping for the best, I booked myself a car and driver, determined not to miss out on this unique programme. If necessary I could always sleep in the car! After all
how often does one get a chance like this?

On the way I remembered a friend who had recently moved to Agra.  I phoned hoping he would respond. He answered on the third ring and happened to be on tour — but promised to phone his housekeeper and arrange a bed for me. His family had not yet moved in, but somehow he and the housekeeper solved my problem. They offered me a bed in a room, which I would have to share with an elderly lady, also visiting Agra for the concert. Thanking him profusely, I promised not to snore or disturb her in any way!

The concert was simply stupendous — Yanni’s orchestra of 60 musicians, including two singers, was arranged at different levels with the Taj Mahal glowing with multiple lights as a breathtaking backdrop. The planning of the concert took almost two years. It was a painstaking effort for Yanni and his team as well as the army of helpers to create the stage on the sandy bank of the Yamuna river, behind which the Taj Mahal (which was illuminated for the first time) formed a perfect backdrop.

The performance was a total hit and has remained in the memories of all those who were lucky enough to be present at the concerts.  It has also remained special with Yanni being one of the few Western artistes permitted to perform and record his music at the Taj Mahal in Agra. Yanni followed this up in May 1997 with performances at the Forbidden City in Beijing, China, as the first Western artist permitted to perform in modern times at this historic site. These two events formed 'Tribute', the live album and video released in November 1997, which has just received a revival, bringing Yanni once more into the limelight.

Yanni is said to have displayed musical talent at a young age — playing the piano at the age of six. His parents encouraged him to learn at his own pace and in his own way, without formal music training. This self-taught musician still continues to use the “musical shorthand” that he developed as a child. In November 1972, Yanni moved from Greece to the United States to study at the University of Minnesota, where he majored in psychology in 1976. During his time as a student, Yanni played in a local rock band, while continuing to study piano and other keyboard instruments. After graduating, he dedicated himself exclusively to music for one full year and found he was the happiest he had ever been and decided music would be his life’s work.

Yanni's “breakthrough” concert, “Live at the Acropolis”,  was filmed in September 1993 at the 2000-year-old Herodes Atticus Theatre at the Acropolis of Athens. It was Yanni's first live album, with a VHS and Laserdisc being released in 1994. Yanni has his own method in creating music — by blending jazz, classical, soft rock and world music he creates instrumental works. Yanni has performed in more than 30 countries on five continents and attracts international recognition through his many concerts at historic monuments and by producing videos of the concerts for public television. By the end of 2015, Yanni had performed live in concerts for more than five million people — and had more than 40 platinum and gold albums, with sales totalling over 25 million copies.

Yanni also has his own way of doing things. Without any financial backing, he risked two million dollars of his personal fortune in the Acropolis production. His strategy was to boost his artistic profile and try to open new markets for his music. The resulting video was broadcast on PBS and became one of its most popular programs ever — seen in 65 countries by half a billion people. It became the second best-selling concert video of all time (after Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”) and sold more than seven million copies worldwide.  

Yanni can be credited with popularising the combination of electronic music synthesisers with symphony orchestras. He has employed musicians of various nationalities and is known to incorporate exotic musical instruments to create music with ethnic sounds. Influenced by the cultures around the world he is often called a “True Global Artiste” and his unique music is a reflection of his “One World One People Philosophy”.

The writer is an author, a professional communicator and an intrepid traveller