Atsuhiko Gondai (b. 1965) studied at Toho Gakuen School of Music before furthering his studies at the Freiburg University of Music in Germany and the French National Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music (IRCAM). With numerous awards both domestically and internationally, he is one of the leading Japanese composers of his generation. As a Catholic and church organist, he explores "musical spaces as rituals" based on his faith in his compositional activities. Many of his works are titled in accordance with Christian ideals. Diesen Kuss der ganzen Welt was composed as part of the "Petrushka Project" by his publisher, Schott Music (which commissioned 73 internationally active composers to write piano solo pieces on the theme of "dance"). The original German title translates to "This Kiss to the Whole World." Within various triple meters ranging from 3/2 to 3/64, the note "E" is continuously emitted from the beginning. This note "E," likened to a "kiss" of gratitude and hope, expands and radiates across all registers, sometimes gently, sometimes intensely. The underlying prayer of this piece is for this "kiss" to reach the entire world.