“Composing the future" - Austria's special contribution to Expo 2025

Austria has adopted the slogan “Composing the Future” for EXPO 25 in Osaka to show the world just how much it has to offer economically, technologically and culturally. International interaction brings markets and people together, and cultural cooperation has a special role to play here.

Relations between Japan and Austria are as outstanding as they are inspiring, with a long history to look back on – from visual arts to music, from living culture to cuisine. You might even say that Austria and Japan really know the good things in life.

We are transforming the cultural bonds between Japan and Austria through a truly delightful and multisensory experience engaging all senses: the special edition sake produced for EXPO 2025 by the renowned DASSAI brand has been brewed to the strains of a unique version of the “Lagoon Waltz” by Johann Strauss. The music was exclusively recorded as part of the “Philharmonic Taste” project by members of the Vienna Philharmonic and the Japan Century Symphony Orchestra ( (Norichika Iimori, Conductor) .

Special glasses made by J. & L. Lobmeyr and Champagne bowl made by the Viennese porcelain manufacturers Augarten are sure to take sake-drinking to new heights.

The "DASSAI - Composing the Future" special edition embodies a message that is more important than ever right now: the future is best composed together.

A “making of” film has documented the production process and the recording sessions by those involved in the joint “DASSAI - Composing the Future” project.

The Vienna Philharmonic has made regular appearances in Japan since 1956. At the behest of the Austrian Economic Chambers, Andreas Grossbauer, a member of the Philharmonic since 2007 and the founder of the “Philharmonic Taste” project, has taken Johann Strauss the Younger’s bicentennial as an opportunity to forge an extraordinary musical link between Austria and Japan. He has chosen the Lagoon Waltz (op. 411), a less well-known but extremely beautiful piece by the composer that perfectly reflects the elegance and cultural depth common to both nations. The composition embodies a deep connection with nature (lagoons, paddy fields) and tradition (craftsmanship, rice and sake production).

The piece was performed again for a wider audience as part of the programme for Vienna’s 2025 New Year Concert.

Arnold Schönberg’s arrangement of the waltz for piano, harmonium and string quartet was recorded in the Vienna State Opera by a six-person ensemble drawn from the ranks of the Vienna Philharmonic, with the original version then being taped by the Japan Century Symphony Orchestra ( (Norichika Iimori, Conductor) in Japan.

Back in Austria, recording engineer Georg Burdicek then mixed down both takes to make an extraordinary versionof the Lagoon Waltz that seamlessly flips back and forth between the Austrian and Japanese interpretations, creating a resounding symbol of harmony, shared values and creative interaction.

Sake is a traditional Japanese drink made from fermented rice, koji and water with a history stretching back to the 3^rd century BCE.

The Asahi Shuzo brewery (from the 1st of June 2025 DASSAI Inc.) has achieved global renown for premium quality sake with its DASSAI brand, already winning numerous prizes. The brewery produces only Junmai Daiginjo, the highest-quality sake. Unlike many traditional sake breweries, Asahi Shuzo integrates pioneering technology and scientific data into its brewing process, guaranteeing consistent quality and making the approach more modern and innovative by combining tradition and technology.

To infuse the essence of this intercultural cooperation into the taste, speakers were attached on the  fermentation vats and the special sound recording of the Lagoon Waltz by Johann Strauss the Younger was played to the sake throughout the entire fermentation process. Sound waves exert a significant influence on delicate processes and can be detected within the fermenting liquid, fashioning a unique flavour profile and creating a little piece of Austro-Japanese sound culture in liquid form.

The “DASSAI – Composing the Future” special edition is a profession of love to music and the ties that bind Japan and Austria. "It has been a great pleasure to work with different cultures to create new experiences and new forms of enjoyment. In alignment with ‘Composing the Future’, the theme of the Austria Pavilion, we hope that this unique project will further strengthen the bonds between Japan and Austria,” says Kazuhiro Sakurai, the CEO of Asahi Shuzo brewery (from the 1st of June 2025 DASSAI Inc.).

The materials, shape and aesthetics of the drinking vessel significantly influence how a beverage is enjoyed. This tradition has deep cultural roots in both countries and, in Japan, is closely linked to both the tea ceremony and the drinking of sake.

Cooperative ventures have been undertaken as part of the “DASSAI – Composing the Future” project with two Austrian firms that are steeped in tradition and backed by centuries of excellent craftsmanship. J. & L. Lobmeyr and the Vienna Porcelain Manufactory Augarten are set to take the enjoyment of sake to a new level with their special glasses and bowls.

J. & L. Lobmeyr GmbH was founded in Vienna by Joseph Lobmeyr in 1823 and the company soon gained a royal warrant to supply the Habsburg court. Every generation of owners since has displayed an enthusiasm and curiosity for materials and design, resulting in the creation of a wonderful range of timeless classics.

To this day, Lobmeyr glasses are exclusively blown by hand before being ground, engraved and polished. The company operates its own salon in Japan, in the Tokyo district of Omote Sando.

The company unveiled its Maria Theresa chandeliers at the 1873 Vienna World’s Fair and was also represented at the pioneering Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, considered the starting-point of Art déco.

At EXPO 2025 in Osaka, Lobmeyr will be presenting a Baroque Maria Theresa chandelier and an Eva Petrič standard lamp that was designed exclusively for the EXPO as an homage to Felice Rix-Ueno.

A specific shape from the Ballerina series has been selected for “DASSAI - Composing the Future”. J. & L. Lobmeyr’s “Ballerina” series is an elegant drinking set designed by Paul Wieser in 1992. The set conveys the idea of “enjoying the lightness of life on tiptoe” and features attractively slender stems and shapely bowls made of lead-free crystal glass. The shapes have been developed in cooperation with sommeliers to maximise enjoyment of any drink.

Founded in 1718, Augarten is one of the oldest porcelain manufacturers in Europe. The manufactory stands for high-quality, exquisite craftsmanship created in a 300-year-old tradition.

The firm has its headquarters in the Augarten castle in Vienna and boasts a proud history of manufacturing exquisite tableware, decorative items and unique porcelain. Every collection is meticulously shaped and produced by hand, and every item bears the unmistakable barred shield, the brand of Augarten Wien.

Augarten has maintained its reputation for extraordinary craftsmanship and artistic design over the centuries and has become a symbol of Austrian cultural heritage. Augarten porcelain is highly prized in Japan for its quality and artistic merit.

Augarten’s opulent Champagne bowl has been branded with the DASSAI logo for the “DASSAI - Composing the Future” project. The Champagne bowl is an elegant piece made from the finest porcelain and decorated with shimmering gold. The bowl is hand-brushed with 24-carat gold and keeps bubbly cooler for longer than conventional glasses, creating a new way to drink champagne – as well as sake, from now on.

The “DASSAI - Composing the Future” special edition will be available from 23.05 until 13.10.2025:

• In the Austria Pavilion at EXPO 2025 in Osaka
• in selected department stores, hotels and liquor stores in Kansai and parts of Europe, including Austria
• from DASSAI’s online shop

The aim of the “DASSAI - Composing the Future” project at EXPO 2025 is to demonstrate the significant economic links between Austria and Japan with concrete examples of cooperative projects that attract public interest in both countries. This is intended to inspire and motivate companies to engage in new economic initiatives and intensify existing collaborations – transforming cultural ties into even stronger economic ties.

© Philipp Horak

© Philharmonic Taste

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