Ultimate Yanni

Performer: Yanni
Distributor: BMG (distributor)

Notes: Producers include: Yanni, Leonard Hill, Malcolm McLaren, Peter Baumann, Jerry Steckling. Compilation producer: Rob Santos. Includes liner notes by Simon Czukay. Photographer: Lynn Goldsmith. The most complete retrospective of Yanni's work since 1997's Devotion: The Best of Yanni and 2000's The Very Best of Yanni, Ultimate Yanni comes close to living up to its title. The double-disc, 24-track set features digitally remastered versions of definitive songs like "Marching Season," "To the One Who Knows," "Reflections of Passion," "Aria," "Santorini," and "Flight of Fantasy," and also includes tracks from his earliest albums as well as his compositions for the Olympics, the Tour de France, and Wide World of Sports. "Keys to Imagination," "Chasing Shadows," "In the Mirror," and "The Rain Must Fall" are some of the album's other highlights. While Devotion and The Very Best of Yanni are still worthy collections of Yanni's album material, Ultimate Yanni paints a more comprehensive portrait of how widespread and popular his work truly is. While most Yanni fans should already own the majority of these tracks, this album is still worthwhile for them as well as newcomers and casual listeners. ~ Heather Phares There's no denying that Yanni is a global phenomenon virtually unmatched in the annals of popular music. In addition to selling gazillions of albums and single-handedly bringing new age music to a mass audience, his flair for showmanship led him to become the first Western musician to play concerts at both the Taj Mahal and China's Forbidden City. Yanni's taste for the grandiose is reflected in his music as well, which mixes the most dramatic and sweeping elements of progressive rock, world music, neo-classical, and experimental electronic music into a easily palatable stew that can be by turns soothing or awe-inspiring. THE ULTIMATE YANNI is pretty much what the title implies--the definitive collection of recordings from Yanni's "classic" 1986-1994 Private Music era. The two-disc set covers all the keyboardist/media icon's best-known pieces, from the ubiquitous romantic piano ballad "One Man's Dream" (from 1993's IN MY TIME) to the thundering orchestral onslaught that is "Santorini" (from the multi-platinum LIVE AT THE ACROPOLIS). THE ULTIMATE YANNI is the best way to experience the full range of Yanni's capabilities without buying each of his individual albums.

One of modern instrumental music's most distinctive and popular composers, Yanni popularized the combination of synthesizers and full-scale symphony orchestra. The Greek performer combined his musical abilities with a flair for flamboyant visuals, coming across like a more dignified, New Age version of Liberace. His mix of music and spectacle made him a star in the 1990s.

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.25