About Yanni Live At the Acropolis by Yanni Album
Yanni Live at the Acropolis, is the name of both an album and video by contemporary instrumental musician Yanni, recorded live at the Herodes Atticus Theatre, Athens, Greece, on September 25, 1993, and released in 1994. (see 1994 in music and 1994 in film). This album peaked at #1 on "Billboard's "Top New Age Albums" chart and at #5 on the "Billboard 200" chart in the same year. The film 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, the live television special was one of the top fundraising subjects for PBS, 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. The composition, Acroyali/Standing in Motion, from this album, 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.) The corresponding concert tour of the year was "Yanni Live, The Symphony Concerts 1994". BAND: * Charlie Adams – drums * Karen Briggs – violin * Kalani – percussion * Ric Fierabracci – bass guitar * Julie Homi – keyboards * Bradley Joseph – keyboards * Violin duet on "Within Attraction": Karen Briggs and Shardad Rohani * Vocalists for "Aria": Darlene Koldenhoven and Lynn Davis HISTORY: This was Yanni's first live album and utilizes the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra under the supervision of conductor Shardad 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 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 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 gained the title "The Lady in Red".
