Credits:

Asahina Takashi/New Japan Philharmonic,Takashi Asahina,New Japan Philharmonic

Description:

Celebrating the 110th anniversary of the birth of Takashi Asahina (1908-2001) and honoring his great achievement --- the second "Complete Beethoven Symphonies" with the New Japan Philharmonic. The maestro himself said, "We have a good chemistry" in No. 2. The second set includes two works with early- to mid-period introductions: No. 2, which the master himself described as "a good match," and No. 4, which he called "much more elegiac than one would normally think. With only one flute, No. 4 is the least orchestrated of the nine symphonies, but Asahina's performance style remains unchanged. The 35-bar introduction in B-flat minor, which evokes the appearance of a gigantic temple, is situated between and , and was likened by Schumann to "a Greek maiden caught between the giants of Norse mythology. Asahina's performance of the piece announces the emergence of a great symphony that overturns this reputation, and the clarity of the recording, which resonates perfectly on UHQCD---a new treasure has arrived. FONTEC