Optimystique is the debut studio album by Greek keyboardist, composer, and producer Yanni, released in 1980 independently. It was re-released in 1984 by Varèse Sarabande and in 1989 by Private Music.
| Optimystique | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 1984 release front cover | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1984 | |||
| Recorded |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 38:41 | |||
| Label | Independent (1980) Varèse Sarabande (1984) Private Music (1989) | |||
| Producer |
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| Yanni chronology | ||||
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| Alternative cover | ||||
 1989 release front cover | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
Liner notes
editOptimystique was recorded in 1980 and released for the first time in 1984. I considered re-recording or reworking the material before re-releasing it again, but the album has a very special sound representative of a particular time early in my career which I wanted to preserve. For me, it is a piece of my history I remember fondly.[2]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Yanni
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Sphynx" | 4:13 |
| 2. | "Butterfly Dance" | 6:26 |
| 3. | "Strings" | 3:50 |
| 4. | "Twilight" | 7:35 |
| 5. | "The Chase" | 5:08 |
| 6. | "Farewell" | 2:47 |
| 7. | "Turn of the Tide" | 3:57 |
| 8. | "The Magus" | 4:45 |
Personnel
edit- All music composed and produced by Yanni
- Yanni – Synthesizers and Keyboards
- Ernest LaViolette – Drums and Percussion
- Tom Sterling – Bass guitar on "Twilight"
- Dugan McNeill – Bass guitar on "The Chase"
- Tony Matsis – Bouzouki on "Strings"
- Bruce Kurno – Harps
Production
edit- Produced by Jerry Steckling and Yanni
- Executive Producers: Mark MacPherson and Tom Paske
- Engineered by Jerry Steckling
- Assistant Engineer: Chopper Black
- Recorded at Cookhouse Studios and Sound 80, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Mastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Los Angeles
References
edit- ^ AllMusic
- ^ Optimystique (CD liner). Yanni. Private Music. 1989.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Burnett, Richard, "From the Acropolis to America, Yanni still sits on top of the world" (WebCite archive), The Gazette (Montreal), June 14, 2012.