Chopin Orbit Hayato Sumino

• Hayato Sumino (b. 1995), Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849): prologue:
• 1 Sumino, Chopin: prologue 01:31
• Frédéric Chopin: Étude in A-Flat Major, Op. 25. No. 1 "Aeolian Harp":
• 2 Chopin: Étude in A-Flat Major, Op. 25. No. 1 "Aeolian Harp" 02:32
• Hayato Sumino: Lydian Harp:
• 3 Sumino: Lydian Harp 04:18
• Frédéric Chopin: Prelude in D-Flat Major, Op. 28, No. 15 "Raindrop Prelude":
• 4 Chopin: Prelude in D-Flat Major, Op. 28, No. 15 "Raindrop Prelude" 05:24
• Hayato Sumino, Frédéric Chopin: Raindrop Postlude:
• 5 Sumino, Chopin: Raindrop Postlude 04:47
• Frédéric Chopin: Étude in G-Flat Major, Op. 10, No. 5 "Black Keys":
• 6 Chopin: Étude in G-Flat Major, Op. 10, No. 5 "Black Keys" 01:35
• Hayato Sumino: White Keys:
• 7 Sumino: White Keys 02:47
• Frédéric Chopin: Mazurka No. 15 in C-Major, Op. 24, No. 2:
• 8 Chopin: Mazurka No. 15 in C-Major, Op. 24, No. 2 02:06
• Thomas Adés (b. 1971): Mazurkas for Piano, Op. 27:
• 9 Adés: Mazurkas for Piano, Op. 27: Second Mazurka 02:15
• Frédéric Chopin: Nocturne No. 20 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. Post:
• 10 Chopin: Nocturne No. 20 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. Post 04:06
• Hayato Sumino, Frédéric Chopin: Larghetto:
• 11 Sumino, Chopin: Larghetto 04:45
• Frédéric Chopin: Berceuse:
• 12 Chopin: Berceuse 04:28
• Leos Janácek (1854 - 1928): Good Night!:
• 13 Janácek: Good Night! 03:12
• Frédéric Chopin: Polonaise No. 7 in A-Flat Major, Op. 61 " Polonaise-Fantasie":
• 14 Chopin: Polonaise No. 7 in A-Flat Major, Op. 61 " Polonaise-Fantasie" 12:49
• Hayato Sumino: Imaginary Polonaise:
• 15 Sumino: Imaginary Polonaise 06:44
• Frédéric Chopin: Grande Valse brillante in E-Flat Major, Op. 18:
• 16 Chopin: Grande Valse brillante in E-Flat Major, Op. 18 05:21
• Concert Paraphrase of Chopin's Grande Valse brillante (Arr. by Godowsky):
• 17 Chopin: Concert Paraphrase of Chopin's Grande Valse brillante (Arr. by Godowsky) 03:57
• Total Runtime 01:12:37

Info for Chopin Orbit

Chopin Orbit is the second album by acclaimed, multi-faceted New York-based Japanese pianist and composer Hayato Sumino (known as ‘Cateen’). Scheduled for release on January 23, 2026, this new project continues our commitment to presenting exceptional artistry and innovative interpretations to audiences worldwide.

For this new recording, Hayato Sumino has turned his gaze on the composer who possibly means the most to him, namely Chopin (1810-1849). It was indeed Sumino’s sensational performances during the 2021 International Chopin Competition where he was a semi-finalist that first brought this fine young musician to wider international attention.

Hayato Sumino explains his concept for ‘Chopin Orbit’:- “For me, Chopin has always been like an idol, and his music has remained close to my heart since childhood. 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.

The title “Chopin Orbit” reflects this idea. I placed Chopin’s music at the center, and from there different responses and offshoots take shape—as if drawn by his gravity, forming new orbits of their own. In respect for Chopin, each of my pieces is paired with the original that inspired it, so the album presents his works and my responses in alternation. And not only with my own works: I also paired Chopin with composers I admire—including Thomas Adès (b. 1971), Leopold Godowsky (1870–1938), and Leoš Janáček (1854–1928)—showing how the resonance of Chopin’s music continues to expand across time.

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."

The album includes, among others, Chopin’s Polonaise-Fantasie op. 61, Nocturne in c-sharp minor, Berceuse and Raindrop Prelude, coupled with Hayato’s own pieces White Keys and Post Rain, Godowsky’s transcription of Chopin's Waltz No. 1 and Janacek’s Good Night! from On an Overgrown Path.

Echoing this imaginative framework, Chopin Orbit showcases Sumino’s distinctive musical style, merging his refined classical sensibilities with his discerning ear as an arranger and his instinctive feel for the new. During his exquisite performances of his carefully curated programme for the album, Sumino adeptly utilises a variety of keyboards, including a concert grand, a vintage piano, a modern upright and celeste.

’Chopin Orbit’ follows this exceptional young musician’s acclaimed Sony debut album ‘Human Universe’, released in November 2024 on Sony Classical, which saw Sumino range effortlessly across a diverse selection of repertoire from Bach to Zimmer via some of his own compositions.

Hayato Sumino, Klavier

Hayato Sumino
Taking the concert world by storm, pianist and composer Hayato Sumino breathes new life into the term virtuoso. An exclusive Sony Classical recording artist, Artist Ambassador for Apple Music Classical, Steinway Artist, and CASIO Ambassador, Hayato continues to forge his own path in the arts.

His dynamism and creativity are the building blocks of his astonishing online presence—boasting over 1.3 million YouTube followers and 180 million views on the channel/pseudonym “Cateen”—and his passion and spontaneity draw his fans to the concert hall, regularly selling out shows from Tokyo to London to Chicago to Vancouver, with lines out the door for Hayato’s autograph. His 2022 debut album Hayatosm featured music by Chopin, Liszt, and his own compositions, and worldwide success lead to Digital Journal’s recognition in “Best Classical Albums for 2020.” His debut album with Sony Classical is set for release this fall and includes works by Bach, Debussy, Fauré, and Hayato’s own arrangement of Ravel’s Bolero.

His 2024 debut at Royal Albert Hall—where Hayato performed Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra—created a media frenzy. “Something truly unforgettable was created by Hayato Sumino when he made his debut on the piano world’s biggest stage” (Classic FM). In the summer, an extensive sold-out 24-recital tour of Japan culminated in a celebration for Hayato’s July 14 birthday at Budokan (Tokyo), where he performed for more than 13,000 fans.

He continues expanding his international profile with debuts at the Rheingau Musik Festival in Germany, the Gstaad Menuhin Festival in Switzerland, and the Ravinia Festival where he performs Chopin with Marin Alsop and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. As a soloist, Hayato is regularly featured with leading orchestras worldwide, including the Hamburg, Polish National Radio, and NHK Symphony Orchestras, the Tokyo, Japan, Kansai, and Osaka Philharmonics, the Pacific Philharmonia Orchestra, the Boston Pops, and many more.

Quickly becoming one of the most in-demand pianists of his generation, Hayato’s 2024/25 season commences with an 11-concert tour as soloist in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 26 (“Coronation”) with Marin Alsop and the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra. Next a series of debuts across many of Europe’s finest concert halls, including the Berlin Philharmonie, Elbphilharmonie, Tonhalle Zürich, Munich Prinzregententheater, Tonhalle Düsseldorf, and the Liederhalle Stuttgart. Under the baton of legendary film composer Maestro Joe Hisaishi, Hayato returns as soloist with the New Japan Philharmonic to perform Olivier Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphonie.

His unique style blends classical virtuoso tradition with an arranger’s ear and breathtaking improvisational skills, allowing Hayato to share not only classical masterworks, but also his original compositions and arrangements with audiences across the globe. In 2018, he won the Grand Prix at the PTNA Piano Competition, and shortly after in 2020, while completing his Master of Engineering degree, he was recognized with the University of Tokyo’s President’s Award for his exceptional achievements both in music and in academics.

Continuing a long series of accolades for his fresh and innovative approach to music, Hayato was featured on Forbes Japan’s “30 under 30” list in 2023, which recognizes “young entrepreneurs, leaders and trailblazers” who are spearheading “the transformation of industries and finding innovative ways to navigate new business realities.”

Booklet for Chopin Orbit