Greek legend
Yanni is on a similar keel to Vangelis in the United
States of America. Yanni moved there many years ago.
The Olympic swimmer creates multi-instrumentalist
tracks, but his piano-based ones are the most
intimate and arguably the most beautiful. This CD
features eleven piano tracks, in a 49 minute
collection.
It opens with
the suggestive "In the Morning Light". The title
conjures up soft, gentle images and this piece has a
melody to match. It is one of my favourite Yanni
compositions and is extremely beautiful. "One Man's
Dream" is equally as delicate and charms from
beginning to end. Track 3, "Before I Go" has an
angelic-like ending which has "Piano-Heaven" written
all over it. "Enchantment" is just as enchanting as
its title would suggest. "The End of August" is a
very popular Yanni piece and is very likeable with
its simple melody. Other highlights include "In the
Mirror" which features some lovely piano-playing by
Yanni and one of my personal favourites, "Only a
Memory". This track is extremely beautiful and is
such a gentle piece.
Many of these
neo-classical works from Yanni's last album for BMG
appeared in the Live at the Acropolis Concert the
following year, with additional instrumentation from
the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. In some ways, this
took the pieces to a whole new level, but at the
same time, there is much to be said for their
original incarnation.
Since these
golden days, Yanni has targeted the mass market, and
his recent efforts have been more pop-based. It is
albums such as the one above that his fans hold
close to their heart.
This album is
extremely accessible. It makes for perfect
background music, but deserves closer listening.
There is no showy, dramatic piano playing here, just
gentle, relaxing pieces which woo you with their
natural beauty. Yanni has certainly an ear for
melody. This is one of the most inoffensive albums
in the market, and one very difficult not to like.
Fans of highly melodic, beautiful, relaxing piano
music should definitely check out this CD.
Very highly
recommended!
S.C. |