Day 14: Yanni.

Although Yanni is a well-known pianist/composer, he went to the University of Minnesota and earned a degree in Psychology!

Isn't that awesome? He taught himself how to play the piano too! This blog might be long because many thoughts are popping up, so be prepared...you don't have to read all.

So last Sunday, my brother yelled for everyone to come to the TV and guess what! It was YANNI! Listening to Yanni was part of my childhood-mostly the elementary years. I clearly remember watching him on PBS, specifically when he played live at Acropolis. The fam would be watching and I remember my mom still pregnant with Shar/Shar as a newborn. We would all make fun of Yanni because he had long, thick, brown hair and had a mustache. He would also overact sometimes. We also bought his CD's! Yeah, he was that good. When I use to share rooms with my brover, he would play Yanni at night and I would have dreams that go along with the three songs he would always play.

Hearing those songs last Sunday was definitely a shocker because it brought back so many memories. I can't stop listening to him now. Playing those three songs...awww, it's sighful (word?). Yanni is an amazing pianist. I don't think I really grasped his songs back then because I was younger, but now I can't help but wonder how he composed it, what was he thinking? The title of the songs totally just go along with it. One of my favorites, Nostalgia, is an amazing piece. He described this song as a feeling he often experiences because he hasn't been home (Greece) in such a long time. You can actually feel the emotion and the longing to come back. It gives me the heeby jeebies!

I'm going to link two videos and if you have time, watch the whole thing. If you fast-forward, you're missing the best parts. What I like about his songs are the transitions from slow to fast and from fast to slow. It's kind of like riding a roller coaster. But it's weird..I don't know how to describe it..it's that one transitional note that hits me..like BAM the emotions just release you know? Ay yi yi, I feel like I'm analyzing too much, but hey! I'm a Gemini =)

I'm glad I was exposed to classical music when I was younger. When I have my own kids, I want to introduce them to classical music (Yanni/Yiruma). It'll give them a chance to use their own imagination and connect the song to their own emotions, without paying attention to words/lyrics.

Anyways, I really enjoy Yanni and I would just like to share it with you all (meaning the four of you that read this) haha.

Oh! He totally just cut his hair and shaved his mustache! Weird! AND he's coming to the bay in JUNE!!!!

These two videos are the ones I remember watching. Give the second one a chance. I know it starts slow, but keep listening, it gets better!
They are my favorites. Hope you enjoy!