Yanni – Tribute (1997)
A remarkable, unprecedented project, and a PBS special, Tribute was produced during the first concert staged at the Taj Mahal, and the first performance by a Western artist at the Forbidden City. In the midst of these global treasures, Yanni debuted his first new works since 1992. Also included, as a bonus, is the 56-minute companion to the PBS show, No Borders, No Boundaries, narrated by Christopher Plummer.
Yanni – Tribute is a unique film journal describing the extraordinary effort, purpose, and achievement of these groundbreaking performances. Tracks: Deliverance, Adagio in C Minor, Renegade, Waltz in 7/8, Tribute, Dance with a Stranger, Nightingale, Southern Exposure, Prelude, Love Is All, Niki Nana (We’re One), Santorini.
Exotic locales and famous monuments! Adagios and waltzes! Spectacle and bombast! A didgeridoo and an orchestra too! Yanni’s amazing hair!! All this and much more make Tribute a feast sure to be eagerly devoured by the Greek composer-keyboardist’s legions of fans–and it’s not hard to understand why, as it is an impressive achievement. The DVD chronicles Yanni’s 1997 concerts at India’s Taj Mahal (the first concert staged there) and Beijing’s Forbidden City (the first-ever performance there by a Western artist), and these splendid settings are certainly shown to good effect throughout this well-directed, great-sounding program. As for the music, well, that’s all a matter of taste; what might be schlocky to one person will be beautiful and majestic to another. But regardless of one’s musical leanings, no one can dispute that the 90-minute concert, combining numbers from both locations, provides a healthy and representative dose of Yanni’s New Age-cum-classical-cum-world music sounds, and they are well played by the international cast of nearly 50 musicians and singers (violinist Karen Briggs and guitarist Pedro Eustache acquit themselves especially well among the soloists).
And that’s not all, as the DVD is loaded with bonus features. Principal among them is “No Borders, No Boundaries,” a beautifully photographed, hourlong film narrated by actor Christopher Plummer; part documentary and part travelogue, it contains musician profiles, Yanni biographical material, some Indian and Chinese history, and information about how the concerts came about. Other features include a lengthy Yanni interview and discography, as well as audio options. In the end, Yanni detractors are unlikely to be converted, but then, they can always put on their Limp Bizkit CDs instead. –Sam Graham
Yanni – Tribute Review
This is one of my all-time favorite music DVD’s. There are so many reasons why this is a great show to watch. The music is all original, written by Yanni and played by a proffessional symphony orchestra. The setting is in both India’s Taj Mahal and the Forbidden City in China. It was the first live concert ever played in the two settings, and there was a lot of red tape that the producers had to go through in order to get the authority to play in front of these monuments.
Also featured are violinist Karen Briggs and woodwind instrumentalist Pedro Eustache. Both are superb improvisational soloists and really add to the entertainment factor of the show. There are also four female singers, all of whom are excellent in their own way, and are featured both as soloists and providing background harmony.
Yanni’s talent, along with being a prolific pianist, composer and arranger, is bringing great musicians together and directing them in a way to fully exploit each musicians unique and individual sound. His band contains musicians from all over the globe, and is something of a “United Nations” band.
For these reasons, I enjoyed this DVD much more than any other Yanni’s other material. Most of his albums that I have heard thus far are just him playing, using synthesizers and drum machines to try to get the sound that he wants. Where this gives him the opportunity to explore the art of composing, there is nothing like hearing the music come alive with real musicians and orchestrations of what he wants to do.
I also compare this album to “Live at the Acropolis,” and feel that buying this DVD would be a much better purchase. I think that Yanni’s music was still in the developmental stage when he recorded at the Acropolis; with “Tribute,” he has had a chance to try things out, and this is the culmination of all hi years of hard work as a composer and arranger. I don’t know if Yanni himself will be able to top this performance, let alone any other musician.
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