Yanni promised his fans they would not be bored.
They definitely were not. Thrilled. Ecstatic. Wildly enthusiastic fairly describes the reception Yanni received from his audience at his sold-out concert Saturday night at Symphony Hall.While the fans were thundering applause at the Garth Brooks concert at the Delta Center, the devoted fans of acclaimed composer Yanni created their own uproar a few blocks away.
"There sure are some loud people out there," said Yanni as he greeted his Utah fans and expressed his appreciation for the warm reception.
For more than two hours, without taking time out for intermission, Yanni and his ensemble of first-class musicians presented a concert that seemed to combine the best of many music worlds - classical, soul, new age, rock and jazz. Dressed in a white pantsuit and conducting his band as he played the piano and keyboards, Yanni's engaging zest for his music contributed to the charm of the performance.
Yanni generously shared the stage with his nine-piece band, consisting of two violinists, a cellist, bass player, percussionist, drummer and three keyboardists. Each of these musicians succeeded in enthralling the audience. Drummer Charlie Adams offered a stunning, frenzied performance on the drums, earning a standing ovation. And violinists Charlie Bisharat and Karen Briggs managed to produce sounds from their instruments that shattered all stereotypes. They fiddled, the plucked, they strummed and strutted back and forth on the stage playfully competing with each other.
As Yanni and his ensemble played, they danced to the toe-tapping rhythms. The crowds seemed to feel as though they are part of a party celebrating life - which is exactly the message Yanni intends to communicate. At the conclusion of the concert, Yanni, who graduated in psychology from the University of Minnesota, advised his fans not to let their worries rob them of the joy of life. And he encourages them to "dare to dream" - which is, of course, the theme of his latest CD.
The multilayered stage, with a natural-rock look, combined with effective use of colored floodlights to create a sense of fantasy and imagination. Yanni intentionally avoids telling his fans "what his music means" and uses, instead, images such as circles and stars to suggest meaning but allow listeners to come up with their own meaning. To him, music is a celebration of life and should communicate emotion, he told the crowd.
From the reaction of the crowd Saturday, his philosophy toward music obviously works - at least for thousands of Utahns.
Blending acoustic and electronics, Yanni's concert moved smoothly from quiet sentimental pieces to robust, explosive songs, playing from his new CD and better-known platinum CD "Reflections of Passion."
A highlight of the concert was his piece dedicated to his mother. His band left the stage; the spotlight focused on Yanni at the piano, surrounded just by the violinists and cellist. He introduced the piece sharing a story from his childhood. When he was a boy, his mother would always sing a song to him before he would go to sleep. The cello in this touching composition resembled a human voice singing.
Also, he dedicated his song, "To the One Who Knows" from his "Dare to Dream" CD to his father, calling him his "greatest teacher in life." From his father, he learned about unconditional love, Yanni said.
And, appealing to the romantics in the crowd, Yanni performed a beautiful number that he wrote three years ago and dedicated it to the woman he loves. "And you all know who she is," he said with a grin, acknowledging his well-known romance with "Dynasty" star Linda Evans.
After a series of standing ovations and playing two encore pieces, Yanni promised the Utah audience he would be back soon. His promise, like his music, inspired loud applause.