YANNI & THE PRAMBANAN TEMPLE
YANNI STARTED HIS CAREER IN MINNEAPOLIS
In 2001 I was in Stillwater, MN visiting a metaphysical store with my former partner. He bought me a Yanni CD. The woman who owned the store told us the story of how she saw Yanni often when he performed in Stillwater at a restaurant located very close to her store. The restaurant was packed to the gills every time his band performed there.
Yanni immigrated to America and arrived in Minneapolis to attend the University of Minnesota. In 1976 he graduated with a B.A. in Psychology. Music became his future career and he lived here for ten years performing in the band named Chameleon.
Consider that his family roots were in Greece where he was born on November 14, 1954 in Kalamata, a son of a banker, Sotiri Chryssomallis, and a homemaker, Felitsa. He was talented in music and started playing the piano at the age of 6. He was a self taught musician who developed his own musical notation. Copyists translate his music to the regular musical charts for musicians in his band/orchestra.
While in Minneapolis he wrote a jingle for Dayton's and made $10,000. More people were exposed to his music through the department store jingle. He toured with Chameleon from 1980 to 1984. In 1984 Yanni moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career composing movie soundtrack music. In 1984 he released his first CD, "Optimystique." In 1987 he founded a band which toured in 1988 with John Tesh (singer/keyboardist) and Charlie Adams (drummer). His early CD's were; "Keys to the Imagination," "Out of Silence," and "Chameleon Days." In 1989 he met Linda Evans, the actress, and he had a nine year relationship with her. His TV appearances, videos, CD's and concerts made him famous. He was involved in fund raising for the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). This exposed him to a greater audience of viewers. In 1992 "Dare to Dream" was nominated for a Grammy.
Many people know him through his concerts at well known monuments and landmarks. In 1993 he appeared live at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. In 1998 he performed at the Taj Mahal in India and the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. In 1998 his relationship with Linda Evans ended and he took a break from traveling. In 2000 he released "If I Could Tell You," the CD my partner bought at that metaphysical store in Stillwater. One of my favorite Yanni CD's was "Ethnicity," released in 2003. In 2015 he performed two concerts at the Egyptian pyramids and the Great Sphinx in Giza. His fireworks display was his classic video of all time and is one of my favorite Yanni videos. In September 2018 he released a piano solo called, "When Dreams Come True." He is back touring again. On July 6th, 2019 he will appear at another great sacred space, Prambanan HIndu Temple Complex in Yogyakarta, Indonesia on the island of Java.
Yanni has a band/orchestra with many world instruments from many countries. He plays keyboards and piano and directs it all from the keyboards. The Prambanan Hindu Temple Complex was built in 850 C.E. during the reign of the Sanjaya Dynasty. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991 and is the largest temple in Indonesia.
It was built to resemble Mount Meru, the home of the gods. The temple is dedicated to the Hindu Trinity. Brahma (The Creator), Vishnu (the Preserver) and Shiva (the Destroyer). The architect of this great temple was Rakai Pikatan. This temple has gone through earthquakes and volcano destruction and still its main eight temples are very much intact. The three largest temples are dedicated to the Hindu Trinity. The next largest temples are dedicated to the Vahana (transport) of the gods. Garuda, the sacred eagle, is the carrier of Vishnu. Nandi, the Bull, is the transport of Shiva and Brahma's carrier is the Swan, Hamsa. Apit temples and smaller shrines make up the rest of the complex. Those apit temples are dedicated to the consorts to each of the gods. Saraswati is the consort of Brahma. Lakshmi is the consort of Vishnu and Shakti is the consort of Shiva. Some temples are dedicated to the four directions. There are 224 Pervara smaller temples. Only a few of those temples have been restored after the earthquakes. The main ones are the ones which were fully restored after the earthquakes.
The inner portions of the temples have beautiful carvings of Hindu stories from the Ramayan and Bhagavata Puranas. Stories of Ram, Sita and Jatayu are from the Ramayan and stories of Krishna are from the Puranas. The temples depict images of devatas and sages in the interior sections. Animals are celebrated in these temples as much as the gods are honored. Lions, birds, deer, sheep, monkeys, horses and elephants decorate the walls of the temples. Kalpataru trees, which are connected with the gods, are also displayed on the interior walls of the temples. There are other temples in the region near the Prambanan Complex, including some early Buddhist temples. The Buddhists reigned before the Hindus did in Indonesia. This complex celebrates the victory of the Hindu reign in Indonesia. There are even some earlier Hindu temples in this region of the country.
In the Hindu temples the musicians and singers sit on pillows and cushions on sheets. Often the rest of the devotees sit on chairs in a different area of the temple. The instruments most often used are: tabla and dohlak drums, sitars, harmoniums, mandolins and finger cymbals. In some temples you will see acoustic guitars and electronic keyboards. If you can sing classical or jazz music, you will be able to perform Hindu music. Chants, mantras, bhajans (songs) and artie singing are the most common styles of music. You will sometimes even hear Bollywood music at the temples or mandirs, especially when dancers are performing.
I hope Yanni will love the temple complex and find Indonesia a welcoming place. May Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva keep him safe. May Mother Saraswati inspire his music and help the audience to achieve connection with all this Divinity around them.
JAI SHRI YANNI! JAI SHRI PRAMBANAN TEMPLE! JAI SHRI MA!
Radhapriestess
