Focus on the laureates of Piano 2021: Tomoki Sakata
31/01/2025
In the last four years, Tomoki Sakata has shown himself a multifaceted musician, having achieved a career as a pianist, a composer and a conductor. In 2024 he has released his third album, dedicated to the complete sonatas for violin and piano by Brahms.
As a pianist, Tomoki Sakata has performed in over twenty countries, appearing at venues such as the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, the Rudolfinum Dvořák Hall in Prague and the Suntory Hall in Tokyo. He has also been invited to numerous international festivals, including the Verbier Festival, Kissinger Sommer and Beethovenfest Bonn.
He has collaborated with orchestras in Europe and Japan, including the Belgian National Orchestra, the Hungarian National Philharmonic, the Sofia Philharmonic and the NHK Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of such distinguished conductors as Charles Dutoit, Leonard Slatkin and Kazushi Ono. Among his notable achievements is a performance of all five Rachmaninov piano concertos in a single concert at Suntory Hall with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra in 2023. In January, he was once again invited by the Tokyo Philharmonic for a concert marathon, featuring an impressive program of four concertante works by Liszt performed in a single evening.
Having worked closely with composer Philippe Manoury on his Veränderungen (…deuxième sonate…) pour piano, Tomoki Sakata performed the composition in the presence of the composer at the 2024 Festival de l’Intemporel in Tokyo. This performance was highly praised by Manoury himself.
In addition to his performances as a pianist, he has also ventured into composing his own pieces. During his formative years, he studied composition with Masayuki Nagatomi and Hinoharu Matsumoto, who won Fourth Prize during the 1969 Queen Elisabeth Competition for Composition. In January 2025, he premiered an orchestral work commissioned by the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra, conducting the performance himself. His compositions and arrangements are published by Ongaku no Tomo Edition.
Tomoki Sakata made his debut as a conductor in 2022, conducting performances of two Mozart Concertos from the keyboard. He also led the Japanese premiere of a symphonic work by Franz Liszt in the same year.
In 2024, he released his third album, which features the complete sonatas for violin and piano by Brahms, with violinist Ayana Tsuji. Additionally, he recorded the soundtrack of the popular Japanese manga and anime series Your Lie in April.
Next up on Tomoki Sakata’s schedule is a project to perform Beethoven’s nine symphonies, arranged for solo piano by Franz Liszt, across nine recitals; a series set to conclude in December 2025. In April, he will make his Slovenian debut with the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra.
Watch him perform two melodies by Gabriel Fauré that he himself transcribed for the piano: Nell op. 18/1 en Soir op. 83/2:
This site uses cookies to provide you with the best experience possible. By clicking on « ACCEPT » or continuing to browse the site, you accept the use of cookies on your web browser. For more information about our cookie policy and the different types of cookies used, click on Learn more