was a Japanese
conductor.
Person
Asahina was born in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
as an
illegitimate child
Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ''b ...
of
Kaichi Watanabe.
[中丸美繪 オーケストラ、それは我なり(in Japanese) ]Bungeishunjū
is a Japanese publishing company known for its leading monthly magazine '' Bungeishunjū''. The company was founded by Kan Kikuchi in 1923. It grants the annual Akutagawa Prize, one of the most prestigious literary awards in Japan, as well as ...
pp.35-49, 2008 He founded the ''Kansai Symphonic Orchestra'' (today the
Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra
The is a Japanese symphony orchestra based in Osaka, Japan. Founded in 1947 as the Kansai Symphony Orchestra, the orchestra took the name of the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra in 1960, and in 2014, formally assumed the official name of the Osaka P ...
) in 1947 and remained its chief conductor until his death in
Kobe
Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...
. Inspired by a meeting with
Wilhelm Furtwängler
Gustav Heinrich Ernst Martin Wilhelm Furtwängler ( , , ; 25 January 188630 November 1954) was a German conductor and composer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest symphonic and operatic conductors of the 20th century. He was a major ...
in the 1950s, he began a lifelong attachment to the music of
Anton Bruckner
Josef Anton Bruckner (; 4 September 182411 October 1896) was an Austrian composer, organist, and music theorist best known for his symphonies, masses, Te Deum and motets. The first are considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-Germ ...
, recording the complete Bruckner symphonies several times. For many years, he was associated with the North German Radio Orchestra in Hamburg. In May and October 1996, he appeared with the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) was founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891. The ensemble makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival. The music director is Riccardo Muti, who began his tenure ...
.
Awards and honors
*
Asahi Prize
The , established in 1929, is an award presented by the Japanese newspaper ''Asahi Shimbun'' and Asahi Shimbun Foundation to honor individuals and groups that have made outstanding accomplishments in the fields of arts and academics and have greatl ...
*
Medal with Purple Ribbon
are medals awarded by the Government of Japan. They are awarded to individuals who have done meritorious deeds and also to those who have achieved excellence in their field of work. The Medals of Honor were established on December 7, 1881, and we ...
*
Order of the Rising Sun, 3rd class
*
Person of Cultural Merit
is an official Japanese recognition and honor which is awarded annually to select people who have made outstanding cultural contributions. This distinction is intended to play a role as a part of a system of support measures for the promotion of ...
*
Order of Culture
The is a Japanese order, established on February 11, 1937. The order has one class only, and may be awarded to men and women for contributions to Japan's art, literature, science, technology, or anything related to culture in general; recipien ...
*
*
Cross of Honour for Science and Art, First Class
External links
ObituaryTribute to Maestro Takashi AsahinaAsteroid 5230 named in his honor
References
1908 births
2001 deaths
20th-century conductors (music)
20th-century Japanese male musicians
Japanese conductors (music)
Japanese male conductors (music)
Kyoto University alumni
Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Musicians from Tokyo
Recipients of the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class
Recipients of the Order of Culture
Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 3rd class
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