Takashi Asahina conducting the Osaka Philharmonic: December 29, 1999
I. Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso (D minor) 0:00
II. Scherzo. Molto vivace (D minor) – Presto (D Major) 18:01
III. Adagio molto e cantabile (B♭ Major) 32:46
IV. Finale 47:41
BIO: “Takashi Asahina was credited with popularizing the Austro-German repertoire—especially Bruckner, Beethoven, and Mahler—in Japan and had one of the longest careers of any conductor, remaining professionally active virtually right up until his death at the age of 93. A self-taught violinist, Asahina abandoned a legal career and worked as a department-store clerk and a railroad engineer before apprenticing himself to Russian conductor Emmanuel Metter in the early 1930s. Asahina made his conducting debut in 1939 and founded the Kansai Symphony Orchestra (now the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra) in 1947. He became widely known internationally after conducting the Berlin Philharmonic in 1956. Asahina conducted more than 60 orchestras in 15 countries and in 1994 was awarded the Japanese Order of Culture in recognition of his achievements in the arts.”
Remastered By: Wayne Yang, USA-Taiwan