Live at the Acropolis

in Athens where Yanni recorded Live at the Acropolis In April 1993, Yanni released his eighth studio album, In My Time, on the Private Music label. He supported the album with a concert tour that visited 40 cities worldwide which included three sell out performances at the Herodes Atticus Theatre by the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, his first to take place in his native country. After he moved to the United States in 1972, returning to Greece to perform at the Acropolis became one of his career goals. The event took over a year and a half to organise, and recalled his experience of meeting with the local archaeological committee, the mayor, and ministers of culture and tourism as his effort to gain their trust and permission to perform, promising not to cause any damage. For the occasion, Yanni wanted to record and film the concerts for a live album and home video. Without sufficient financial backing, Yanni risked $2 million of his own money on its production in a strategy to boost his artistic profile and open new markets for his music. Despite being advised by his management and Private Music personnel not to proceed with the concert due to the high costs, Yanni proceeded regardless and by the end of it, was left with an estimated $50,000 to his name. Live at the Acropolis documents the last of the three nights which took place on 25 September 1993. The concert included a line-up of his six-piece band, formed of drummer Charlie Adams, violinist Karen Briggs, percussionist Michael "Kalani" Bruno, bassist Ric Fierabracci, and Julie Homi and Bradley Joseph on additional keyboards, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Shahrdad Rohani. Performing his drum solo during the set was another highlight for Adams as he felt he could communicate for those in the audience who did not speak English. He recalled the police searching the concert site and dressing rooms with dogs for signs of explosives. == Release ==

Live at the Acropolis was released on March 1, 1994. The video spent 229 weeks on Billboard's Top Music Video and Top VHS Sales charts, In a three-year television deal with the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), the live television special was one of the top fund-raising subjects for PBS, raising $13 million, with more than 750,000 home videos and more than 7 million albums sold worldwide. It has been seen in 65 countries by half a billion people, and is the second best selling music video of all time behind ''Michael Jackson's Thriller''. To capitalise on the success, Yanni began a 61-date concert tour in May 1994. His live recording of "Standing in Motion" was used as a pregame song for the New Jersey Devils for years. The corresponding concert tour of the year was Yanni Live, The Symphony Concerts 1994. ==Critical reception==

Reviewing for AllMusic, Jonathan Widran writes, "It's no surprise that Yanni is most identified with this amazingly powerful experience (also presented as one of PBS's most popular concerts ever), because it seems like the musical project he was most destined to make. After making millions stateside, he returns to the historic ancient Acropolis of his Greek homeland to share his sweeping music with his countrymen. One of the most impressive aspects of Yanni in this live setting is the way his beautiful piano passages blend with the occasional boom of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Shardad Rohani)." A negative review came from the Village Voice's Robert Christgau, who called the album "affluent spirituality cum cornball romanticism from a florid New Age maestro." ==Track listing==

All music was composed and produced by Yanni except "Aria", based on The Flower Duet from the Léo Delibes opera Lakmé. 2018 25th Anniversary edition ==Video==

The film of Live at the Acropolis was released on home video on March 1, 1994, the same day as the album. Katie Tamms of AllMovie writes, "Before a sold-out crowd on September 24, 1993, new age musical artist Yanni, accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, performed the first of three historic concerts at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. Himself a native of Kalamata, Greece, Yanni had returned to perform in his homeland after more than 20 years in America. This video production, headed by award-winning director George Veras, includes a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the live video, as well as backstage interviews with Yanni and some of his musical entourage." The video was released on DVD in 1999 by Windham Hill. The video was released again in CD/DVD and Blu-Ray package in 2018 as the 25th anniversary of the concert and has been digitally restored and the music has been digitally re-mastered and remixed by Yanni for full 5.1 surround sound. This special limited edition package also includes a brand new interview with Yanni a look back on Live at the Acropolis 25 years later, three bonus tracks and a 60-page booklet with never-before-seen photos from the making of Live at the Acropolis. Track listing 1999 DVD bonus features: • Words From Yanni • Yanni Backstage 25th Anniversary Edition new bonus features: • In Discussion with Yanni • About the Origin of Live at the Acropolis • Looking Back on Live at the Acropolis 25 Years Later • Insight Into His Set List Creation • How His Music Relates to Today • About His Musicians and the Creative Process • The Accolades Surrounding Live at the Acropolis • The Influence of His Music on Our Culture and His Favorite Moments ==Personnel==

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. Music • Yanni – piano, keyboards • Charlie Adams – drums • Karen Briggs – violin • Michael "Kalani" Bruno – percussion • Ric Fierabracci – bass guitar • Julie Homi – additional keyboards • Bradley Joseph – additional keyboards • Shahrdad Rohani – conductor, violin duet on "Within Attraction" • Darlene Koldenhoven – vocals on "Aria" • Lynn Davis – vocals on "Aria" • Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra Production • Yanni – engineering and mixing at his private studios, production • Andy Rose – recording • Chris Bellman – mastering in Los Angeles • Bernie Grundman – mastering in Los Angeles • Shahrdad Rohani – orchestrations, transcriptions, arrangement preparation • Jeffrey Silverman – orchestrations • John Rinehimer – orchestrations • Richard Boukas – transcriptions, arrangement preparation • Tom Sterling - live audio engineer • Curtis Kelly - live monitor engineer • Norman Moore – art direction, design • Lynn Goldsmith – photography ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts ==Certifications==