ZAKU Piano Suite
− Satsuki Hoshino−

Pianist Satsuki Hoshino has written a series of sublime compositions inspired by the sake ZAKU.
These rich soundscapes – evoked by ZAKU's aromas, flavours, and textures – bring the sake to life.

ZAKU PIANO SUITE ︱Satsuki HOSHINO

1　Prelude ︱ Beyond the Aurora（03:11）
（03:11）
At the heart of this prelude, ancestral melodies from the sacred lands of Ise resonate with the glimmers of the night sky. Five narratives intertwine, becoming veins of flowing sound—woven together like a cradle for the five pieces yet to unfold.
2　Gen ︱ Hepta Prism（01:53）
（01:53）
Within the volatile rhythm of falling drops, seven colors shimmer and dance. Layered light turns into ripples, drawing circling patterns in the water where a rainbow comes into bloom.
3　Ho ︱ Where Petals Drift（01:53）
（01:53）
Petals drift—slowly, softly—caressing memories of distant days as they flow away. Wrapped in a tender fragrance, remembrance quietly loosens its threads.
4　Megumi ︱ Breeze in Bloom（01:30）
（01:30）
Guided by birdsong, a breeze dances across the ground abloom. As it colours its own palette, it journeys onward into scenes that set the heart alight.
5　Kanade ︱ Starry Murmur（02:37）
（02:37）
Starry murmurs, delicate as crystal glass. Their harmony turns to dew, gently fading into the ocean of the galaxy.
6　Miyabi ︱ Twilight Dreamscape（02:04）
（02:04）
Twilight glow, soft as velvet, envelops a dreamscape. Carried upon the melody, its glow invites toward distant horizons.

A sake born of intricate craft.
The profound universe of its flavours and aromas
is reflected in the piano's melodies.

Aromas rise the moment you hold the glass—
within them dwell emotions,
as vague as a memory yet undeniably present.
I sought to capture its shifting essence, painting with sound.

I thought– if only we could express the vital pulse of yeast into music!
Inspired by this idea,
I transposed sake yeast's chemical formula into a musical scale,
and wove it throughout the composition as a leitmotif.

The aroma of sake guides the sound;
sound deepens the sake's flavour.
When sake and music meet,
a new sensation is born.

Satsuki HOSHINO

Satsuki Hoshino, began studying music in childhood and earned her piano diploma from the Tokyo College of Music. She graduated with highest honors from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, where she studied under Jean-François Zygel, with her thesis "Improvisations autour de la Synesthésie". Gifted with synesthesia, she explores the ability to associate sounds with colors.
Satsuki collaborates with the Fondation Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé and the Cinémathèque Française for their cinema-concerts, and she has also been appointed ambassador by the Ministry of Culture for a mission on musical improvisation. She regularly performs at festivals, merging piano improvisation with other art forms and weaving connections between the piano, poetry, painting, and cinema.

Satsuki HOSHINO
Official Site

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Expressing Sake's Emotion

— A Journey through the Five Senses

Sake catches the light in the glass, sparkling softly.
You gaze deeper, its colour and clarity whisper back.
Drawing closer, its fragrance warmly greets you.
Flavour dances across the tongue and unfolds.
A sip swallowed, the sake's texture now etched into the memory.
A breath out, and the echoes of its aroma linger.

In this way, we face sake through our five senses,
seeking to perceive the brewer's intention and nature's bounty.
At times, we find meaning in the measurable and concrete:
the rice variety, polishing ratio, alcohol content, sake meter value, amino acid levels—
These too become more than data: clues by which the heart seeks to understand,
mirrors of the brewers' wisdom, even facets of the local climate and waters.

What the senses receive transforms within—
then awakens the creative spirit: one that shapes and shares—
becoming expression:
The judge renders it into words and scores.
The sommelier chooses language to describe fragrance and flavour.
The chef reflects their impression into a dish.
The painter captures sensation in colour and line.
The filmmaker entrusts it to light and shadow.
The calligrapher lets the brush run free.
The photographer captures a moment in time.
The musician converts it to melody.
Each attempts to convey the sake's emotion through their own craft.

The ways in which people interpret and express what they have felt—
as many as there are people, each one is precious and unique.
So is the profundity of sake:
a single experience unfolds in infinite forms.

We hope that in each of these diverse expressions,
sake's true charm and emotion will be revealed.

Shimizu Seizaburo Shoten

ZAKU Piano Suite− Satsuki Hoshino−