Pianist and composer Hayato Sumino has released his new album Chopin Orbit on the Sony Classical label.

Sumino first garnered widespread attention for his performances during the 2021 International Chopin Competition, and on this recording, he turns his attention to Chopin's music.

The album features Chopin's Chopin’s Polonaise-Fantasie op. 61, Nocturne in C-sharp minor, Berceuse, and Raindrop Prelude, among others. Sumino also includes several works that resonate with Chopin's music, including pieces by Thomas Adès, Leopold Godowsky, and Leoš Janáček. Rounding out the album's program are Sumino's own compositions White Keys and Post Rain.

“For me, Chopin has always been like an idol, and his music has remained close to my heart since childhood," explains Sumino. "As I grew as a musician, I began to realize how naturally his influence found its way into my own creations. At some point I thought—why not create an album with Chopin at its center? That moment became the starting point of this project. My pieces were born out of inspiration from Chopin’s works. Sometimes I quote a motif or weave in a melody, but I never set out simply to write 'in the style of Chopin.' What I wanted was to bring together his spirit with my own modern sensibility and creativity."

"I imagine the listener roaming freely between these two closely connected worlds, old and new, whilst keeping in mind the twist that pieces composed in the 19th century were themselves considered new and different in their time to the music that had gone before, highlighting that we inhabit an ever-evolving musical space," commented Sumino on the album's variety of repertoire.

 

Listen to the full album below:

 

Also known as "Cateen," Japanese-born pianist Hayato Sumino has garnered over 2.2 million followers globally across his social media platforms, and he has performed at venues including Royal Albert Hall, the BBC Proms, the Hollywood Bowl, the K-Arena Yokohama, and Carnegie Hall.

Sumino has been the recipient of the Bernstein Award as well as multiple Opus Klassik Awards, and he has been profiled by Forbes Japan, Vogue Japan, Rolling Stone Korea, and Elle Magazine US. A prolific composer as well as performer, Sumino blends classical, jazz, film music, post-classical, and electronica styles.

His 2025/2026 concert season includes performances in California, Illinois, New York, Massachusetts, and Oklahoma.