Hayato Sumino: Human Universe (2LP)

On his Sony Classical debut album "Human Universe", the extraordinary Japanese pianist and composer Hayato Sumino shows his multifaceted musical influences in a diverse selection of pieces by classical composers such as Bach, Handel, Purcell, Chopin, Fauré and Debussy, iconic film music by Hans Zimmer and Ryūichi Sakamoto as well as his own compositions and arrangements. The special feature of Hayato Sumino's piano playing is his unique, confident and virtuoso style, in which he combines a precise classical technique with the fine sense of an arranger and distinctive improvisational skills. He constantly incorporates impressions from genres such as jazz and pop music, in which he is also active, into his well-founded classical interpretations. "For 'Human Univers', I was inspired by ancient ideas of the universe and the connection between art and science. The ancient Greeks believed that celestial bodies in the universe emit sounds and that the entire universe produces harmony and music, the so-called 'music of the spheres'." Hayato Sumino is an extraordinary phenomenon: even as a teenager, the pianist and composer, who was born in Tokyo in 1995, inspired millions of viewers on YouTube with virtuoso videos of classical piano performances and emotional piano arrangements of anime and game soundtracks under the name "Cateen". To date, he has achieved over 200 million views and gained over 1.5 million followers on YouTube and Instagram. Although Hayato Sumino has been playing the piano and receiving lessons since the age of 2, he studied information science and technology at the University of Tokyo until he graduated with an excellent master's degree in 2020. Even before completing his studies, he won the Grand Prix at one of Japan's most important piano competitions - the PTNA competition - as an outsider in 2018. The win was the starting point of his career as a professional pianist. He then took piano lessons with Jean-Marc Luisada in Paris for six months and has since ridden a wave of enthusiasm to become a piano superstar in Japan. On July 14, 2024, his 29th birthday, he played a piano recital in front of 14,000 people in the sold-out Tokyo concert hall Nippon Budōkan. In 2021, he attracted international attention at the International Chopin Competition, where he reached the semi-finals with his outstanding interpretations. In April 2024, Hayato Sumino made his spectacular debut at the Royal Albert Hall with his performance of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue", which caused a sensation both online and in the concert hall. As a soloist, he has performed with numerous orchestras around the world, including the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra, the NHK Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra and the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. Hayato Sumino will make his debut in the Elbphilharmonie in January 2025.