The multi-faceted New York-based Japanese pianist and composer Hayato Sumino turns his gaze on Chopin, the composer who means the most to him. It was Sumino’s sensational performances at the 2021 International Chopin Competition where he was a semi-finalist that first brought the young musician to wider international attention. In Chopin Orbit, Sumino pairs six of his original compositions with the work by Chopin that inspire it. “I never set out simply to write in the style of Chopin,” says Sumino. “What I wanted was to bring together his spirit with my own modern sensibility and creativity.” To illustrate the influence of Chopin’s music across time, Sumino’s program also includes Chopinesque music by Thomas Adès, Leopold Godowsky, and Leoš Janáček. Throughout the album, Sumino adeptly utilizes a variety of keyboards, including a concert grand, a vintage piano, a modern upright and celesta.