Takashi Asahina

Takashi Asahina (朝 比 奈 隆Japanese, Takashi Asahina, born July 9, 1908 in Ushigome, Tokyo city (today: Shinjuku, Tokyo ), Japan, † December 29, 2001 in Kobe ) was a Japanese conductor.

He founded in 1947 the Kansai Symphonic Orchestra ( since 1960 Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra ) and led it as chief conductor until his death. His first international appearance as a conductor he had in 1956 with the Berlin Philharmonic. Following a meeting with Wilhelm Furtwängler in the 1950s, he developed a lifelong close to the music of Anton Bruckner, whose complete symphonies he recorded several times. For many years he worked with the NDR Symphony Orchestra in Hamburg. In his last years he had several appearances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

He received the 1976 Award of the Japanese Academy of Arts and in 1978 the Asahi Prize for his work around the symphony. The asteroid ( 5230 ) Asahina was named after him.