Vol.1

Pianist and Conductor, Head of the Japan National Orchestra

"Music score "

Kyohei Sorita

"A long musical career,
We will travel together forever."

Live comfortably. You will shine.
Lineart Charmant 15th Anniversary Special Interview Project

A person who is full of radiance is sure to have the best partner by their side.

When you become one with a wonderful partner, you can shine endlessly.

Line Art Charmant also wants to be a "partner" that is close to people and helps them shine even more.

From the stories of 15 professionals active in various fields

We will unravel the secret of the brilliance that comes from a sense of unity with your partner.

People who are full of brilliance are sure to have the best buddies by their side. When you become one with the perfect partner, you can shine endlessly. That is also the idea behind Line Art. We want to be close to people and increase their brilliance.

We will speak with 15 professionals active in a variety of fields and unravel the miracles that unity brings about and the secret of its brilliance.

Live in comfort. You will shine.
Lineart Charmant 15th Anniversary Special Interview Project

Vol.1

Pianist and Conductor, Head of the Japan National Orchestra

"Music score"

Kyohei Sorita

Just as musical scores are a "partner" to Kyohei Sorita that reflects the past, present, and future, Line Art Charmant will continue to aim to be a partner that supports everyone and brightens their lives.

What does musical score mean to you?

- I want to try playing the piano while wearing "slip-proof glasses"

"I wear glasses with a lower prescription for recitals than for private use because my eyes get tired if I can see too much," says Sorita. On this day, from the Line Art Charmant lineup, she chose glasses with a combination of a round shape and a sharp bridge with angles that bring out Sorita's individuality.

"Although I have a job that requires me to be more particular about my glasses than most people, I tend to neglect this and always end up choosing the same kind of thing, so this design is refreshing. And more than anything, they're comfortable to wear."

Line Art Charmant has developed a unique material for glasses called "Excellence Titanium" through eight years of joint research with the Tohoku University Institute for Materials Research. It is lightweight and not easily displaced, providing the ultimate comfort.

"If my glasses slip off while I'm playing the piano, both of my hands are occupied, and even if it doesn't affect my vision, it still hinders my concentration. I always used a glasses holder, but with this fit, I may not need one. I'd like to wear these glasses and play at a recital someday."

- An accident in which his glasses flew off during a performance

For Sorita, glasses are a daily partner that he would be in trouble if he lost, just like sheet music.

"I've been wearing glasses since I was in the third grade of elementary school. I have both myopia and astigmatism, so I can only see blurry with the naked eye, so I put on glasses the moment I wake up and even in the bath. My glasses are always a focal point in the portraits and illustrations of me that various people draw for me, and now glasses have become something of an icon of Kyohei Sorita."

He once experienced an accident involving his glasses while performing.

"I was playing the piano at the Mariinsky Theater in Russia, and when I looked up, my glasses flew off. The audience then started taking pictures of the scene on their smartphones (laughs). This was something that would never happen at a recital in Japan, and it was very troubling. But I couldn't look for my glasses, so I ended up closing my eyes and continuing to play. My teacher told me later that it was a good experience for me. One of the reasons I don't often use a baton when conducting is because holding it draws attention to the baton and because waving it in my hand gives the impression of smoother, but another reason is that if my glasses do slip off, I can deal with it if I have my hands free."

For Kyohei Sorita, sheet music is an indispensable "partner." On this day, he played Mozart's Symphony No. 40 in G minor. He sometimes uses a baton that he customizes by carving cork to fit his hand.

The glasses worn this time are the new XL11110 BR from the Presto collection. The combination of the round shape and gold temples gives off a sense of intelligence.

- It can take you on a journey through time and space

The mountains of sheet music in his home and office are organised by decade, and by looking at the shelves, Sonda says he can see the background to the changes in music over time.

"Once I've decided on the piece I'm going to perform, I sometimes compare it with the handwritten scores of Beethoven or Chopin. It's a time to think and feel the thoughts of the great composers through the sheet music. When I studied abroad in Russia, my teacher, who was born in 1935, told me the voices of the composers and performers he came into contact with when he was young, and I wrote them down in the sheet music. I also sometimes write down advice that my wife gives me while I'm practicing at home."

In addition to his work as a pianist, he is currently working on new musical projects with the Japan National Orchestra, which he leads, as a conductor, a career he has dreamed of since childhood, and this has been the subject of much discussion.

"The conductor has to communicate his image and thoughts to the members of the orchestra, so the sheet music on which he writes for this purpose is like a script. It's also interesting to see that each member's sheet music is inscribed with words from the various maestros they have performed with in the past. The printed sheets start out blank, but each person writes on them and reads them over and over until they are completely worn out."

The scores, written using a 4B pencil and a variety of red and blue colored pencils, and sometimes even using a ruler to draw lines, are a treasure not only to Mr. Sonda personally, but also to classical music as a whole, and are sure to become a legacy someday.

- Sheet music is my partner, everything in it is written down

Kyohei Sorita started playing the piano at the age of three, and continued to attend music school even after moving to Tokyo when his father was transferred.
"At the time I was crazy about soccer and piano was just a hobby. I didn't start playing piano seriously until I was 11 years old and had to give up my dream of becoming a soccer player due to an injury."
While many internationally active classical musicians receive special education from an early age, this is an unusual career path, but he has had an interest in sheet music since childhood.

"At music school, I saw kids a little older than me playing pieces from a textbook that was at a higher level than me, and I felt a kind of admiration and wanted to be able to play the pieces from that coloured textbook as soon as possible. That may have been the first time I became aware of sheet music. When I was in middle school, the pieces my teachers gave me to play felt like gifts, and I was happy that they chose these pieces for me. After that, I started writing down what I learned and what I felt about each piece every time I performed it. Everything about who I am at that time is recorded in it, and I'm sure I'll continue to add to it until I'm 70 or 80 years old. It's like a partner that I don't want to lose any more."

Photos: Yoshihito Sasaguchi (SIGNO)

Hair & Make-up: Tokoyo Tsurusaki

Styling: Mariko Kawada

Realization: Tomoko Shimizui

Jacket ¥96,800 Knit ¥33,000 Pants ¥46,200/HEUGN (IDEAS)

INFORMATION

"Kyōhei Sorita Piano Recital 2024" is scheduled to start on October 23rd, and "Kyōhei Sorita & Japan National Orchestra Concert Tour 2025" is scheduled to start on February 26th.

https://kyoheisorita.com/concert/

On November 8th, the paperback edition of "A Life Without an End," a chronicle of the author's own trajectory and future, will be released by Gentosha.

PROFILE

Born in Sapporo, Hokkaido in 1994. In 2012, while still a high school student, he won first place at the Japan Music Competition. In 2014, he entered the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory with top honors. In 2015, he won first place in the classical division of the Città di Cantu International Piano Concerto Competition in Italy. Since 2017, he has been enrolled at the Frederic Chopin State University of Music (formerly the Warsaw Conservatory) in Poland. In October 2021, he won second place at the 18th International Chopin Piano Competition. He currently runs the online salon "Solistiade" and is involved in a wide range of activities, including running the Japan National Orchestra Co., Ltd., based in Nara.