Many music lovers know him by his online name, Cateen. Behind this pseudonym is Japanese pianist Hayato Sumino, an internationally acclaimed artist as well as a composer and arranger. After reaching the semi-finals of the Warsaw Chopin Competition in 2021, he won over an audience of millions with videos spanning classical, jazz and pop. Alongside his musical training, he has a solid scientific background (engineering studies at the University of Tokyo, research at IRCAM in Paris). On 4 October, he makes his Ascona debut with a programme centred on Chopin, alongside Saint-Saëns, Stravinsky and Adès, alongside his own improvisations.
Chopin is at the centre: what does he mean to you?
Since childhood he has been a kind of absolute point of reference for me, and he has remained so throughout my musical journey. I’m fascinated by the subtlety of his emotional nuances: an apparently simple writing style that, through phrasing, pauses and a very fine harmonic veil, immediately translates the performer’s inner world into sound. Perhaps that’s also why such different interpretations exist. I think of Chopin as a kind of centre of gravity: different orbits branch out from him, each with its own trajectory – that’s the idea behind Chopin Orbit.
What role does improvisation play in Chopin’s music?
It’s meticulously crafted music, and yet it seems to come into being in the moment. That’s exactly the quality I try to preserve: making what is written sound as if it were improvised. At the centre are the freedom of ornamentation, the flexibility of tempo, and that slightly veiled timbre of his harmony, which gradually clears.
Why did you choose music after your studies?
As a child I loved music and mathematics equally, and for a long time I pursued both in parallel. The turning point came in 2018, when, as a student, I won the PTNA competition: from then on I decided once and for all to pursue a career as a pianist.
Do these two worlds still interact today?
Yes. On one hand, I try to understand sound from a physical point of view as well; on the other, I continue to think like a researcher. It’s about standing on the shoulders of giants and trying to offer one’s own small contribution.
How do you combine classical, jazz and pop without falling into vagueness?
I don’t try to artificially merge languages. The decisive question is always: what does the music need? Sometimes it calls for a classical structure, sometimes for the language of jazz. Crossing boundaries is a means, not an end.
Your online presence is enormous. What role does this large digital audience play in your artistic life?
During the pandemic, many people discovered me that way. For a younger audience, classical music can seem distant: if a video manages to open a door, that’s already a great deal. I try to make the connection between tradition and the present visible.
Sun 4 Oct, 6:30 PM | Chopin Orbit: Hayato Sumino (Collegio Papio, Ascona)
