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JANDL100 wrote:

I have just listened to it - you are right - very very good.  I will send you a recording Asahina made of the 5th in 1960.   I think you will enjoy it very much as well.  .... dare I say it is even better than Masur !   ;-)   For me, anyway.  Absolutely electric.  It answers even more questions than Masur, and poses some of its own

I would agree with you that the Asahina’s play of Shostakovich 5th in 1960 poses questions. The biggest question that it poses in my mind is why the “big esthetes” Japanese so ionized Asahina and moved him at such a pedestal. I got lately a few Asahina’s recordings from 60s – very unfortunate performances. To be honest I have to tell that I do appreciate the macro-objective of what Asahina is trying to do but the renderation of those objectives is juts horrible. The Asahina’s orchestra plays at the level of Western Pennsylvania high-school marching band. I am not kidding – I actually was laughing a few times during that 1960 play. I think any more or less civilized orchestra should never make this level of play public.

Jerry, I found the Shostakovich 5th/Asahina 1960 is very artificial. Asahina is trying to pump up pathos from nowhere and his orchestra does it very unknowledgably. The Shostakovich sometimes sound like Tchaikovsky ballet, sometimes like dances from Fledermaus and most of the time like village entertainers play pro-bono in their local retirement home.  I completely do not get this play.

I again encourage to you give into the Masur 1987 that I sent you. It is not just from my point of view way better Shostakovich 5th - it is VERY different level of reading, understanding and performance of the peace. I think it was the last Asahina CD that I got.

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