Yanni: World Music For A New Age

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"Tribute," Yanni. Last night at KeyArena, Seattle.

From the moment he bounded onto the stage is all his perfectly coiffed-and-clothed glory, there was no question that Yanni is the king of his world, the reigning star of his New Age universe.

But at times during last night's always-exuberant, sometimes-exhilarating and often-excessive performance at Seattle's KeyArena, the master was in danger of being overshadowed by his supporting players - most notably Karen Briggs, a fiery violinist with fleet fingers and charisma.

"You go, girl!," an audience member yelled at Briggs - and that was before she played even one note. By concert's end, her rock-star-style solos threatened to steal the show.

But in the nick of time, Yanni would be back at center stage, directing the action from amid his thronelike assemblage of keyboards.

It didn't matter to the near-sellout crowd that most of the time, he was more a cheerleader than a key player. As the music's composer, he was happy to leave most of the serious work to his musicians: an orchestra of about three dozen players - including a crackerjack string section - plus three vocalists.

And what of that music?

Though Yanni's sound is generally described (some might say dismissed) as New Age, it has far more energy and passion - not to mention sheer volume - than its more contemplative competitors in this genre.

And like the similarly supercharged "Riverdance," it takes elements of world music and amplifies them almost beyond recognition.

Taken one at a time, Yanni's songs have a degree of sweep and power; heard one after another, they begin to sound like a homogenized mishmash - a bit of Greece here, a bit of Peru there.

Many of the selections played last night were from his most recent album, "Tribute," which was recorded during concerts last year in China (where the Greek-born star was the first Western artist to perform in Beijing) and at India's Taj Mahal (where his appearances sparked protests from environmentalists and farmers).

The best of these "Tribute" cuts was the rip-roaring, gospel-tinged "Love Is All," one of the few Yanni songs to have vocals with lyrics (usually, singers just provide some angelic-sounding oohs and ahhs).

Another highlight was the achingly bittersweet "Nostalgia," from his big-selling 1994 album "Yanni: Live at the Acropolis." It had enough romance to thaw the hardest of hearts.