TRIBUTE WORLD TOUR ~ INDIA ~ MARCH 1997
Some Interesting Facts About Yanni's India Tour in 1997
- Yanni performed live for three consecutive nights from 20 to 22 March 1997 at India's iconic monument Taj Mahal located at the heart of the city of Agra (State -Uttar Pradesh)
- The spectacular concerts which were staged at the back-side of the monument Taj Mahal on the bank of the river Yamuna took almost two years of meticulous planning and painstaking efforts by Yanni and his team.
- Yanni became the First Western Artist to be permitted to perform at the Taj Mahal.
- The event also marked the artificial illumination of the Taj Mahal during night for the first time in history.
- Yanni's team comprising of almost 300 members successfully accomplished the task of building a stage and seating arrangement in the middle of the river Yamuna on a sandbar that periodically became visible when the river dried up between November and late March.
- Indian Army's help was sought to build two pontoon bridges to get across the river and also for building the roads leading to the pontoon bridges. The bridges were built in record time.
- Almost 130 tons of video and audio equipment were imported from United Kingdom brought in around 50 trucks and a plane.
- Four towers were built with some of them over 60 feet high for housing the lighting equipment.
- A stage was also built spanning 100 feet to 80 feet, 6 feet high and tiered to hold the orchestra and the band.
- Seating was created for 7200 people.
- Yanni also flew in the revolutionary V-DOSC sound system that cancelled the sound reflecting from the rear of the speaker cabinets completely. During the concerts the sound reaching the Taj Mahal was as low as two people talking.
- Apart from adhering to strict sound emission and lighting norms, no motorized vehicles were brought in upto 500 meters of the monument.
- Yanni wrote the songs "Deliverance" and "Love is All" specifically for the Taj Mahal.
"Yanni and his team with their dedicated efforts overcame numerous challenges and obstacles and the result- three breathtaking concert nights featuring a musical messiah delivering some of the most unforgettable and inspiring melodies accompanied by some of the best musicians, state-of-the-art lighting and sound equipment and least to mention an exotic locale housing an architectural delight called the "Taj Mahal" "
The concerts staged and recored as part of the "Tribute" tour album peaked at #1 on "Billboard's Top New Age Album" chart at #21 on the "Billboard 200" chart.
Yanni Says "This album was conceived and recorded during a tumultuous and wonderful period in my life. It was inspired, in part, by the possibility that I might perform new works at Taj Mahal and the Forbidden City, two of the greatest man-made structures on earth. That this came to be, that I had the privilege of performing my music in India and China in the midst of national treasures, is a tribute to so many who believed in project that seemed always at the edge of reason. For me, the Taj and the Forbidden City remain essential because they remind us all of our own potential for greatness. The spirit of their builders remains incredibly vibrant. For the members of my band and the orchestra, the nights spent in the shadows of these monuments provoked inspired work and often, tears. I hope, in a small way, we have been able to pay tribute to those many souls, many years ago, the nameless artisans, and laborers, who created these incredible structures. This album is also meant to be a tribute to the dynamic, warm India and China, to the many, many people who embraced us with their kindness, smiles and applause. Finally, like all I've done since leaving, Kalamata, Greece, this is also a tribute to my parents, Sotiris and Felitsa, who taught their little boy a long time ago that....love is all"
The concerts staged and recored as part of the "Tribute" tour album peaked at #1 on "Billboard's Top New Age Album" chart at #21 on the "Billboard 200" chart.
Yanni Says "This album was conceived and recorded during a tumultuous and wonderful period in my life. It was inspired, in part, by the possibility that I might perform new works at Taj Mahal and the Forbidden City, two of the greatest man-made structures on earth. That this came to be, that I had the privilege of performing my music in India and China in the midst of national treasures, is a tribute to so many who believed in project that seemed always at the edge of reason. For me, the Taj and the Forbidden City remain essential because they remind us all of our own potential for greatness. The spirit of their builders remains incredibly vibrant. For the members of my band and the orchestra, the nights spent in the shadows of these monuments provoked inspired work and often, tears. I hope, in a small way, we have been able to pay tribute to those many souls, many years ago, the nameless artisans, and laborers, who created these incredible structures. This album is also meant to be a tribute to the dynamic, warm India and China, to the many, many people who embraced us with their kindness, smiles and applause. Finally, like all I've done since leaving, Kalamata, Greece, this is also a tribute to my parents, Sotiris and Felitsa, who taught their little boy a long time ago that....love is all"
Tribute India Tour Set-list
- "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)"
- "Within Attraction"
- "Marching Season"
- "Keys to Imagination"
- "Standing In Motion"
- "Santorini"
The Many Colours of Taj Mahal (Click on Pictures below to enlarge)
Yanni's Band & Orchestra Members ~ Tribute Tour India
Band Members
Karen Briggs ~ Violin Danlel de los Reyes ~ Percussion Joel Taylor ~ Drums MIng Freeman ~ Keyboards Ric Fierabracci ~ Bass Guitar Pedro Eustache ~ Flutes, Soprano Saxophone, Bamboo Saxophone & Doodook Ramon Stagnaro ~ Guitar, Charango Orchestra Concert Master: Cliff Foster Conducter & Violin ~ Armen Anassian Violins: Corinne Chapelle Beth Folsom Juilan Hallmark Sayuri Kawada Neal Laite Anne Lasley Wil Logan Juile Metz Pam Moore Cheryl Ongaro Delia ParkIrina Voloshina Violas: German Markosian Gugene Mechtovich Cathy Paynter Trumpets: Luis Aquino Kerry Hughes | Cello:
John Krovoza Lisa Pribanic Sarah O'Brien Alexander Zhiroff Contra Bass: Gary Lasley Oboe: Cheryl Foster French Horns: Paul Klintworth Doug Lyons Jim Mattos Matt Reynolds Trombone: Rich Berkeley Harp: April Aoki Didgerido: David Hudson Vocalists: Catte Adams Jeanette Clinger Alfreda Gerald Vann Johnson |
Chronicles of Yanni in India - Copyrights and Bibliography
Photo Copyright Courtesy / Permission :-
-© Lee Rose, All Rights Reserved (Lee Rose - Emmy Nominated Lighting Designer for Yanni's Tribute Tour) -Ming Freeman (Yanni's Keyboardist and band member for over 15 years) -Jeff Durling (Chief Lighting Technician for the Yanni Tribute Tour) | Bibliography:-
Yanni in Words - Autobiography - Yanni / Miramax Books www.yanni.com |
Copyright © 2012 www.Yanni-India.in
