From classical repertoire to jazz and pop, the Japanese pianist and composer has built his reputation on the use of social networks.
This virtuoso knows how to be admired. From classical repertoire to jazz, pop and a few jokes, Japanese pianist and composer Hayato Sumino, currently on tour, has built his reputation on social networks, with 1.4 million fans on his YouTube channel.
The 29-year-old pianist, who has just performed at the Salle Gaveau in Paris before soon traveling to South Korea, Germany and Switzerland, recently released the album Human Universe (Sony Classical), which reflects his eclectic tastes and influences. There he played his own compositions for the first time, including three “ Nocturnes »combining classical base and improvisations. « I was inspired by the belief, among the ancient Greeks, that the celestial bodies of the universe created sounds, harmony, Music », he tells AFP.
He also performs his favorite composers, Bach and Chopin, takes a detour through the baroque with Purcell, then moves on to extracts from film soundtracks, such as those by Hans Zimmer, author of the music ofInterstellar.
Hayato Sumino is distinguished by his taste for exploring repertoire works and improvisation. We saw him, in the middle of a concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London, integrate in a few seconds, in his interpretation of Rhaspody in blue by Gershwin, the tune of a spectator’s telephone ringing which had just rung. Mischievous, he is also the one who has fun playing the Bolero by Ravel on two pianos at once.
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Key personality of 2024
Put to the piano by his mother, a teacher of this instrument, at the age of three, he studied classical music at elementary school, training « every day », take competitive exams. Around the age of 15, he began posting his performances online. “ I had fun posting whatever I wanted, pop songs or video games like Super Mario Bros, just for fun », Rewinds the young man with fine features, black curls and a slender silhouette.
In 2020, due to the pandemic, he multiplies the content, experiments, adds his work on classical music. « The number of subscribers grew little by little. ». Obtaining the grand prize in a prestigious competition in Japan (the NPTA) in 2018 had already allowed him to launch his professional career. In recent years, his teacher has been the French pianist Jean-Marc Luisada, who notably encouraged him to appear in 2021 at the prestigious Chopin Competition in Warsaw, where he arrived as a semi-finalist.
Today, his YouTube channel, under the name “Cateen», has 1.4 million subscribers and some of his videos have up to 11 million views. « Social networks are a tool for reaching a large audience »he admits. The artist, who has his pop music group (Penthouse) in Japan with long-time friends, is sometimes asked to compose music for anime (animated films) and theme songs for television shows. He, who now lives in New York, has participated in several festivals, including one with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He has just been spotted by Vogue magazine (Japanese edition) as one of the personalities of 2024 not to be missed.
Another singularity: this lover of maths and physics, alongside his musical studies, obtained a master’s degree in engineering. And spent six months in 2018 at the Institute for Acoustic/Music Research and Coordination (Ircam) in Paris, during which he became interested in artificial intelligence and music. Besides, if he likes Bach’s music, it’s because it is « harmonious » et « mathematically beautiful ».
