JEDDAH: Renowned Greek composer and pianist Yanni enthralled a sell-out crowd at King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) on Thursday in a concert held under the supervision of the Saudi General Authority for Entertainment.
Yanni, 63, enjoyed a great reception from fans as he arrived on stage with his 12-piece orchestra.
The show kicked off with a short introductory performance by the trumpet players, with Yanni assisting them on the piano. At the end of this ephemeral piece, Yanni told the crowd, 鈥淚 am so happy to be in 黑料社区. It feels like home鈥 it鈥檚 just perfect.鈥
After the powerful introductory piece, Yanni calmed things with a performance of his popular 1992 track 鈥淔elitsa鈥 鈥 composed for his mother 鈥 under a bright spotlight, with dim red and blue spotlights falling on orchestra members, accompanied by a sea of smartphones held aloft by the crowd.
While Yanni鈥檚 performance included many new compositions, it was the blockbusters the crowd most wanted to hear and he did not disappoint, airing classics including 鈥淣ostalgia,鈥 鈥淢arching Season,鈥 and 鈥淪tanding In Motion鈥 to rapturous applause.
鈥淭he Rain Must Fall鈥 was enlivened by the outstanding skills of bassist Gabriel Vivas, while an exquisite rendition of 鈥淣ightingale鈥 revealed the phenomenal vocal range of American soprano Lauren Jelencovich.
Perhaps the wildest reception of the night (aside from those afforded Yanni himself), though, was reserved for drummer Charlie Adams鈥 extended solo 鈥 performed with dazzling speed and dexterity 鈥 during which he amused the crowd by sipping from his coffee.
Yanni concluded his show with his upbeat composition 鈥淭he Storm,鈥 which featured a beautiful performance by Armenian violinist Samvel Yervinyan and Lindsay Deutsch, an American violinist. The crowd was noisily appreciative of the awe-inspiring pace at which the musicians performed this intricate piece.
Speaking to Arab News before the show, Yanni鈥檚 daughter Krystall Ann, who is travelling with her father, said: 鈥淚鈥檓 just so happy and thrilled that we can actually be here. It鈥檚 been beautiful. I鈥檓 excited that we鈥檒l be here a full two weeks, from coast to coast. It鈥檚 been lovely so far."
Yanni performed another show in Jeddah on Friday. He will play at the Princess Noura bint Abdulrahman University auditorium in Riyadh on Dec. 3-4, and at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture in Dhahran on Dec. 6-7.
For more photos from the concert, click here.
