“Since I have synesthesia,” explains Takeuchi, “I see colors in my mind when I hear music, words and numbers. And when I see beautiful scenes I hear notes in my mind as well. So colors and music are strongly connected in my mind. The ‘Colors’ in the album title refers to colors that I see both with my eyes and in my mind. The album follows in my exploration of musical impressionism, but it also is about moments that have been inspiring in my daily life, especially those times when I make musical and color associations in my mind.” On her new Colors in the Diary album, Takeuchi works in a more tight-knit grouping of piano-cello-violin (with synthesizer on one tune) which allows for not only more interplay between the musicians but also gives each soloist a variety of opportunities to be spotlighted. Eugene Friesen is world-renowned as one of the top cellists in new age music, especially for his ground-breaking work for many years with the Paul Winter Consort. Si-Jing Huang is recognized as one of the best violinists in Boston and has been a featured classical orchestra player. Producer Will Ackerman, himself an acclaimed musician, has produced dozens upon dozens of highly-charting, award-winning albums, and is the founder of both Windham Hill Records and Imaginary Road Studio. The album was mixed by Grammy-winning engineer Tom Eaton. Several of the tunes were inspired by a trip to Norway. The album begins with “Frozen Lake.” “The frozen rivers and lakes in Norway make spectacular scenery. Winter is one of the most inspiring seasons for me because of the special winter light and how snow and ice make everything look different. That cold Norwegian beauty also brought about my composition ‘White Mountains’,” explains Takeuchi. She also explores the melancholy side of stormy weather with the pieces “Gray Clouds” (“When the sky is gray and dark with clouds, it is one of my least favorite types of weather because it makes us depressed and heavy-hearted”) and “Into the Storm” (“This music was definitely influenced by the historic snow-storms we had in New England all winter”). However, she notices other winter beauty and portrays it in “Sparkling Sky” (“It is about those clear night skies in winter when the stars are incredibly bright and twinkly”) and “Morning Light” (“morning light was coming in through my window when I wrote it”). But Takeuchi also uses the colors of other seasons for inspiration as she shows with “Green Field” (which “expresses the relief and joy that spring brings to us after a long, cold winter”), “Ocean Wind” (“As I've been living in a place with long and severe winters, summer is always a special and precious time to me, especially the pleasant feeling of being by the ocean”), and “Blue Falls” (“capturing the melancholy and sentimental feelings we get between the end of summer and the arrival of autumn leaves”). In addition, Takeuchi turns to personal feelings in her music with “Remembrance” (“about losing someone important to me”) and “Nostalgia” (“thinking of the beauty of my home country and its culture and missing it, but also remembering the memories I have from there”). “‘Colorful Mind’ was inspired by young children to whom I've taught piano,” explains Takeuchi. “While they play random notes for fun, sometimes they create beautiful phrases or harmonies without realizing it. I wanted to write a piece that evokes the sound of these children playing around.” "In first listening to Marika Takeuchi’s music,” states acclaimed musician/producer Will Ackerman, “one is struck by the startling elegance, precision and consummate nuance of her performance as a pianist.  An instant later all of these thoughts recede as you are transported into the world of a passionate composer whose music is equally emotional and evocative. It is the combination of her skills and her heart together that reach you so powerfully."