Coming to The Audiophile Society on November 11th and all other platforms on December 2nd. 

Pianist George Vatchnadze collaborates with conductor Norichika Iimori and the Japan Century Symphony Orchestra to bring forth a powerful performance of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3.Vatchnadze’s sublime, advanced playing abilities beautifully intertwine with the elegant sounds of the orchestra, creating a gem that is further enhanced by The Audiophile’s signature Mega-Dimensional Sound. This experience is brought to life, creating a sense of presence in your home, as if you were in the concert hall that he and the orchestra created this superb recording. The resulting mix does everything but disappoint the ears of audiophiles.

About George Vatchnadze

Vatchnadze has appeared with orchestras throughout the world and has performed at festivals such as the Hollywood Bowl Festival, Ravinia Festival, Stresa Festival and Rotterdam Philharmonic’s “Philips Gergiev” Festival. He has appeared on live broadcasts of the Dutch National Radio, BBC and NPR’s “Performance Today.” In 1999 Mr. Vatchnadze made his New York recital debut at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, of which critics cited: “Vatchnadze is a consummate artist, now at the height of his musical and intellectual powers. He can do absolutely anything he wants at the piano. He commands delicate pianissimi, massive diapasons and everything in between.”  His most recent engagements include appearances at the Osaka Symphony hall with Japan Century Symphony Orchestra, Great Philharmonic Hall and Mariinsky Piano festival in St. Petersburg, Stravinsky and Shostakovich Festivals in Washington DC, Woodstock Festival (NY), Stanford Stravinsky Festival, Pacific Symphony Rachmaninoff Festival, SYArts Festival in Taiwan, performances in Japan, Georgia, Italy and others. In addition to his skill as a performer, Vatchnadze is an associate professor and throughout his teaching career, his students have won top prizes at the numerous international competitions and have performed extensively throughout the world. He is also founder and artistic director of the Villa Sandra International Piano Academy in Lesa (Lago Maggiore), Italy.

About Norichika Iimori

Norichika Iimori graduated from the conducting course of the Toho Gakuen School of Music. After studying in Berlin and Munich, beginning in 1994 he held successive posts including Resident Conductor of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Guest Conductor of the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio, and Resident Conductor of the Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra. In 1996 he led the European tour of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra and was lauded in a newspaper which said, “Iimori will surely go on to attract international attention.” In 2006 he was awarded the “Art Encouragement Prize for New Artists” from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Iimori has been invited to conduct many world-class orchestras including the Radio Symphony Orchestra Frankfurt, Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic, and Prague Symphony Orchestra. In 2001 he became General Music Director of the Württemberg Philharmonic Orchestra, with which he recorded the complete Beethoven Symphonies and carried out a successful Japan tour in 2006. Currently, Norichika Iimori is Music Director of the Pacific Philharmonia Tokyo, Principal Conductor of the Japan Century Symphony Orchestra, Conductor Laureate of the Yamagata Symphony Orchestra, Principal Conductor of the Izumi Sinfonietta Osaka, Principal Guest Conductor of the Württemberg Philharmonic Orchestra, Principal Guest Conductor of the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra, and Principal Guest Conductor of the Chubu Philharmonic Orchestra. In April 2023, he will become Principal Conductor of the Gunma Symphony Orchestra.

About the Japan Century Symphony Orchestra

Established in 1989 as an orchestra for Osaka, it was named the Osaka Century Symphony Orchestra after an open call from the citizens of Osaka. In 2011, the Japan Century Symphony Orchestra became independent from Osaka and in 2019 celebrated its 30th anniversary. The orchestra is actively engaged in various forms of concerts transcending genres, performing more than 200 times a year, which includes commissioned performances, chamber music concerts, and school performances. “Communicate the power of the region through excellent performances;” “Provide excitement and healing through the orchestra;” “Discover outstanding talent and contribute to the development of the next generation;” “Actively contribute to international mutual understanding and peace.” Based on these four philosophies, the orchestra hopes to spread bright dreams in the hearts of many people through their performances and aims to develop a new era for the orchestra.

Mark Sherman sat down this week with Audiophile Society Label Manager Matt Rose to discuss his new album, Bright Light, now available exclusively at TheAudiophileSociety.com. 

Aayushi Karnik grew up in perhaps the most untraditional place for an aspiring blues guitarist: Surat, India. Yet despite that, the 26 year-old Karnik sounds like a young Stevie Ray Vaugh or Buddy Guy. On her debut album Troublemaker, the follow up to her debut EP The Summer Children, Karnik showcases her generational talent alongside two New York City veterans, Todd Turkishir (drums) and Gregory Jones (bass).

Karnik originally hails from a town called Surat in Gujarat, Western India. As she describes, “It is a dry state, so there are no night clubs to perform. I was mostly a bedroom shredder imagining that I'm playing on a stage.” Despite the limited exposure to Western music, Karnik started out playing a lot of acoustic guitar, singing, and songwriting, but her musical trajectory began to change when she attended blues festivals in Mumbai, which included acts like Buddy Guy, Derek Trucks, Eric Gales, and homegrown Indian blues artists. “My father drove me to Mumbai so that I could attend this festival when I was sixteen, and after hearing just one set of Robert Randolph playing, I knew that his is what I had to do.” Shortly after, Karnik started a classic rock band with friends in Surat. “What made me serious about the blues/rock stuff was Led Zeppelin and John Mayer. We used to drive around the town listening to all the great music by Led Zeppelin, John Mayer, Stevie Ray Vaughn, AC/DC, Steppenwolf, and the list goes on. Though listening to Stevie Ray was the light flip moment.”

Eventually, Karnik left Surat and moved to New York City to attend Julliard, where she continued to develop as both a guitarist and songwriter. In April of 2021, she released her debut EP The Summer Children, of which Rolling Stone India said, “In addition to agile and intricate guitar work, the singer in Karnik leaps out expressively and unfiltered.”

Troublemaker features seven new songs by Karnik, as well as classic songs such as Willie Dixon’s “Spoonful”, B.B. King’s “Every Day I Have the Blues,” and Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Jerry Leiber, and Mike Stoller’s “On Broadway.” The album showcases Karnik’s versatile and complex jazz harmony and vocabulary and places it into a blues and rock context. The next great blues guitarist is here, and her name is Aayushi Karnik.

Troublemaker was recorded at Spin Studios in New York City on January 17^th, 2021. Produced by David Chesky & Mark Sherman. Recording Engineer Nicholas Prout.

Track Listing 

1. Troublemaker
2. Spoonful
3. Solid Ground
4. Blue for Anxious
5. Open Eyes
6. On Broadway
7. Believe it
8. Living on the Moon
9. Raining
10. Every Day I Have the Blues