 Yanni,
Live at the Acropolis, August 17, 2000
Yanni
can be likened to 1970s rock group Emerson,
Lake and Palmer. There are several basic parallels, especially in this
orchestra-enhanced concert reworking of his more propulsive, anthemic compositions.
Yanni, who in concert sometimes strikes the rapturous two-keyboard
"iron-cross" pose that served as one of Keith Emerson's trademarks, uses, as
ELP did, classical and world-music influences to elevate pop-inclined compositions to
more sophisticated levels. He then turbocharges the whole concoction with bold strokes
of prog-rock bravura to give his finest pieces a dramatic, chest-swelling,
larger-than-life impact. A key difference between the two acts, of course, is Yanni
possesses a much stronger romantic streak, plus he refrains from attacking his
keyboards with sharp objects. At his best, Yanni strikes incendiary sparks with the
driving, celebratory quality of his music, and this production, culling some of the
best audio moments from his much-televised 1993 concert performance in Athens, is a
most appealing showcase. Yanni can sometimes strike the sonic hammer as forcefully as a
Greek god ("Santorini," "Keys to Imagination") and, on this album
at least, gives even overtly romantic pieces ("One Man's Dream," "Swept
Away") a warmly masculine flair. Beautifully arranged and recorded; a pleasure to
experience. --Terry Wood
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