Legendary Greek musician Yanni cast a spell on his fans last night (November 6) at the first-ever concert held in Sharjah’s Al Majaz Amphitheatre.

Thousands turned up to see the maestro perform live in Sharjah against the picturesque backdrop of Khalid Lagoon and he did not disappoint them. He dipped in to his rich repertoire to perform some of his most celebrated albums and pieces of music.

Hosted by Al Majaz Amphitheatre as part of Sharjah’s efforts to promote appreciation of art, culture and music and a spirit of understanding and dialogue between cultures, the much awaited performance by Yanni was sold out weeks before the concert.  

Addressing the audience, the artist said: “Hello Sharjah! Assalamu Alaikom. How are you tonight? You sound great! I can hear you all. What a beautiful setting to be performing at! It's so beautiful behind us here. All of you out there and (I see) the lake, the buildings and the lights. What a wonderful place! It's our very first time in Sharjah and we will remember it forever. It will not be the last. This is just the beginning!”

Yanni came up with several songs and musical score especially composed for the grand concert driving home the message of love, tolerance and cultural harmony espoused by Sharjah and the UAE.

Responding to the popular demand, he also performed some of the most celebrated songs from his 40 albums, driving his fans into raptures and asking for more, late into the night.

Some of the popular songs played on the occasion include Felitsa, which was written in memory of his mother, Human Conditiin, The End of August and The Storm etc.  

Reaffirming his message of peace and humanity, the artist said: "You know as well go through our lives and we struggle with the uncertainties of everyday life, we must never forget the profound impact we have on each other around the world."

"We are all one interconnected, living, breathing world community. We all belong to one race and that is of course the human race. We’re all human beings first," he added.

Later addressing the audience again, the maestro said: "This has been an amazing experience for us truly to perform in Sharjah. This is a magical place and I love that we are surrounded by the lake, by water. It’s great energy. I can feel all of you and I am very happy to be here in Sharjah."

"It’s great to see your city is growing. You have some of the best universities in the whole Middle East. You like to educate your children. That’s not a small feat. You learn English, French and Arabic and everything else, which is wonderful," he added.

He promised to come back again and again to Sharjah and the UAE.        

Earlier chatting with the media about his current work, he said: “I have just finished my latest album which is going to be released to the public very shortly. A lot of the music that I have composed for this album has been greatly influenced and inspired by experiences within the Arab world. I am sure listeners to the album will easily identify the music that has this influence.”

The legendary artist who has performed in such iconic locales as the Great Wall of China, Taj Mahal in India and around the world, has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide.-TradeArabia News Service