Instead of explaining the essence of classical music in words, French music producer Rene Martin chooses a piece from an enormous number of musical samples stored in his smartphone.

Breaking the silence, the sound of a piano version of Franz Schubert's "Serenade," one of his "Schwanengesang" ("Swan Song") pieces, issues from a portable speaker.

"Listen. It's very simple, almost like popular songs," Martin says during an interview with The Japan Times in Tokyo. "Yet, there is something absolutely unique."