NEW YORK (AFP).- Yanni, the prolific New Age composer known for extravagant live performances, plans a busy 2016 that includes broadcast of a concert at the Pyramids.

The Greek-born, US-based keyboardist announced that "Yanni: The Dream Concert -- Live from the Great Pyramids of Egypt," will air on US public broadcaster PBS in March.

The concert will be a recording of Yanni's first appearance in Egypt from October, in which he brought an orchestra and an accompanying light show to the Pyramids.

The showcase of the ancient wonder could offer a publicity boon for Egypt as it struggles to ease overseas tourists' safety concerns.

At the same time, a number of Egyptians complained on social media that Yanni's two shows were too expensive for them. 

The concert film will be Yanni's 12th for PBS. The first, and most famous, was a concert by Yanni at the Acropolis in his native Greece recorded in 1993.

He released his last such concert in 2012 which was taped in Puerto Rico at the 16th-century Morro Castle. 

Yanni on January 29 will also release a new album, "Sensuous Chill," which his label said would include a track with a touch of bhangra, the energetic dance music with roots in Punjab.

Yanni plans a tour across North America for the album, starting on February 2 in Sarasota, Florida.

Yanni, whose real name is Yiannis Chryssomallis, is one of the defining artists of  New Age, the genre that brings a spiritual dimension to instrumental electronic music that often has classical form as well as global influences.



© 1994-2015 Agence France-Presse