I have been a Yanni fan for quite sometime now but have never been mesmerized so much as I’m now with his Concert Event 2006. Released last year, I believe it is the most fascinating concert I’ve ever had the fortune to enjoy. Too bad it took me so long to get my hands on it (I feel I’m becoming lazy and having trouble keeping up with the pace of the outside world).
At a time when the majority of the Sri Lankan people are obsessed with “Super Star”, I concern myself lucky to have the ability to enjoy something far more superior: something I call music.
Ok, the incident I promised to tell you took place between me and one of my friends not so long ago. He is as obsessed with superstar as anyone else is right now and a few days back he came to me with a set of superstar CDs to make copies(the ones available at pavements in petta: one of the fastest-selling commodities in Sri Lanka today: people would mumble about the 19% inflation and how they are unable to survive the day, but superstar CDs are an exception). Anyway, I was the one with the CD writer so he came to me. He was talking how talented they are, how amazing the contestants and the people in the band as well. In his own words: “Machan, violin gahana ekaanan sira neda? Maara gahillakne gahanne.” Just then I asked him if he really wanted to see what sort of music I call “music” and I played him the Yanni concert. Guess what, he asked me to copy the concert to his CD and to write the superstar thing later.
I’m not being a total jerk and to go the distance to disregard the people in the superstar contest. I’m sure they are really talented and all. It’s just that I wish the people in this country would someday see beyond the world Sirasa is showing them. Just wish that they knew heroines apart from Thulsi and Praveena.
Anyway, the little experience I had with my friend made me realize that the inherent longing to experience something original, something genuine and something truly worthy of receiving aesthetic appreciation is still among most of us. It may be dormant and clouded by the storm of useless content the media is spreading each day. But it’s still evident, even in the very least.
Enough of that. I’m sure you people who enjoyed superstar would be thinking about my parents now J. But if you ever get the chance, try spending a few hours listening to yanni’s music or relishing one of his concerts. You just might find a tingling feeling inside you that will encourage you to see more of it and less of Sirasa Super Star.
(I’m sorry for not being able to provide you a link to download the video. But if you have ADSL, just go to a torrent site (e.g. isohunt.com) and search for “yanni concert event” and download. Trust me. You’ll love it)
10 Comments:
Hi, happy to hear someone else enjoys Yanni`s music. I`ve been a fan of his for years. In case you haven`t heard Yanni is composing new music for us, he has done about 80 new compostions. You should go to his website yanni.com and see the newest video clips, and updates. I`m sure you will love it.
Angela
Hello,
Hey i am a Yanni fan too and i was hooked to his music since 1992 and since then his music continues to mesmerize me!!! And as Angela said PLEASE don't miss out as Yanni is making a comeback. He has some very amazing stuff coming up!! Do visit Yanni.com
Cool....thanks for the link!
His music is simply out of this world. Forget superstar, I don't think any pop/ rock or whatever can match the quality of that classical music. For me it's like a healing meditation.
I'm so glad to have found some more Yanni fans! It's very exciting to hear about the new music Yanni's working on! I joined his fan club on his website. Hope to see you there! Also fun to watch the video clips of whats to come!!!!
thanx everyone,
It's nice to know that still there are some people who cherish the good stuff in life and not giving into lame content that's roaming in the TV channels.
Yanni is not classical music...he's very much a contemporary artist. Fairly good elevator music considering he recorded both his first albums on synthesizers. Personally prefer Enio Moriccone and Hans Zimmer as composers.
Taste in Music and art is such a subjective and personal thing and so it is difficult to pass judgement on such matters.
Just wanted to suggest, Yanni's budget for production and marketing would be far greater than the superstars in a country like Sri Lanka. Maybe if these individuals had access to his resources, they would be able to present a more sophisticated and polished sound?
Would Yanni be able to impress if he played solo in a small venue, minus all the paraphernalia? Ditto the stars you mention. Maybe that's the true test of a skilled musician?
A musician who is truly skilled, would probably not need to spend so much on marketing etc, to draw an appreciative audience and sustain a reputation during his/her lifetime.
This is not to take away from the impressive presentation skills of Yanni, as well his outstanding ability to appeal to a mainstream audience.
Thanx L:
I agree with you on the "budget" factor playing a role in analyzing these two sides, not to mention the the contrasting musical styles in yanni's music and the Sri Lankan superstar contest. But the point I tried to bring about has very little to do with money or a "budget".
Like I said, the people who took part in the superstar contest are undoubtedly very skillful. It's just that the manner in which the contest was carried out by sirasa tv and the extent to which they were able to stir up the minds of the sri lankans is pretty disgusting to me.
Then again, the marketing effort put in the superstar event was one of the biggest advertising efforts in the sri lankan media history. (I'm not sure if you're living in sri lanka, but if you are, I'm sure you must have come across their advertising) So I don't think the fact that yanni spends a lot in marketing his music is in anyway unfair to superstar in the context we are speaking.
A musician who is truly skilled, would probably not need to spend so much on marketing etc, to draw an appreciative audience and sustain a reputation during his/her lifetime.
I don't know much about yanni in depth to talk a lot about him (just an enthusiastic fan of his music) but I guess all he has done through his marketing is to take his music to every possible corner of the world. Look how many TV commercials use his music in the background? We even had his music playing in our school's broadcasting system each day before the morning assembly.
In essence, what I wanted to say through this post is that sri lankans should try to enjoy the brighter side of life and not indulge in the maze created by the media. It doesn't have to be yanni's music. There are so many great composers in sri lanka whose existence is shadowed with the emergence of these new arrivals. I've stressed so many times that most of the new arrivals in the media are just lame stuff aimed at earning a quick buck. Unfortunately, with very little access to good quality stuff(music, dramas whatever), people are led to believe that these new stuff and the world they see through the media is all that is in the actual world. I just pointed out the incident with my friend just to say that still if we give them something of little bit more aesthetic value, they are willing to accept it in place of the other lame stuff out there.
So wait...if Sri Lankan artists you don't like use the media to promote their stuff and get wide coverage, that somehow is a crime against culture BUT when Yanni (who is mainstream, pop culture, mass media as you can get) uses the same tools and approach its fine? Just because you don't mind Yanni's music? I think there's a word for that....let me think....I know...HYPOCRISY!
Hello,
I´m Yanni´s fan since 2000 and I´m very exciting, because I believe his new composition will be great. You can see/listen a little on the officila website.
I´m sure his new job will be wonderful!
Fernanda
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