He also graciously allowed two women to kiss him, and whenever an older woman repeatedly said she loved him, he replied that he loved her, too.I was sent a copy of Yanni's first instrumental album release in eight years, Yanni: Truth of Touch, to review. He also said that from space, you can’t see national borders, and he urged people to live as one.īy the end of the two-hour show, fans heard Yanni and his orchestra play such favorites as The End of August, Nightingale, Acroyali, Marching Season, The Storm and One Man’s Dream, and he was rewarded with several standing ovations. As you might expect from someone with a degree in psychology, Yanni said it’s bad to hold onto negative emotions. “I tend to want to write music that’s positive … about lessons learned in life,” Yanni said, with love being the driving force. The 13 musicians and two dynamic vocalists breathed life into Yanni’s oeuvre, and he enjoyed letting them share the spotlight. Victor Espinola played three different harps for good measure. They weren’t complicated works, though, and that’s where the orchestra helped, with a clever solo by cellist Alexander Zhiroff, a five-minute drum solo by Buckeye-jersey-wearing Charlie Adams and exceptional violin solos by the always-smiling Mary Simpson. He drew a bigger response at the former, as he would face the audience and play a different keyboard with each hand or twirl around to conduct his orchestra.Īt their best, Yanni’s compositions were melodic New Age meditations, or world-beat workouts. Still sporting shoulder-length hair, Yanni, 57, wore a black T-shirt, white pants and shoes as he divided his time standing between two decks of electronic keyboards and seated at a Yamaha acoustic piano. Yanni has written 300 songs, sold 20 million albums and is so beloved that China allowed him to adopt a panda, which he named Santorini, after one of his songs. What they may not know is that Yanni Chryssomallis has continued to compose and perform around the world, with his more recent recordings incorporating Latin and other styles of music. Some readers may remember Yanni as the long-haired, mustachioed man who was once romantically involved with actress Linda Evans. That supporting cast entertained Yanni’s diverse legion of adoring fans with their exciting solos, and they kept the concert interesting for those who weren’t as enamored. The ticket said “An Evening with Yanni,” but fortunately last night’s show in the Ohio Theatre starred the Greek keyboardist and his orchestra. That supporting cast entertained Yanni's diverse legion of adoring fans with their exciting solos, and they kept the concert interesting for those who weren't as enamored. The ticket said 'An Evening with Yanni,' but fortunately last night's show in the Ohio Theatre starred the Greek keyboardist and his orchestra.

Yanni concert reviews