Album Reviews

By now you know the drill: The Electric Recording Company finds a collectible and music-worthy title to reissue and does its fanatical-attention-to-details thing, both in the mastering from the original tape on a lovingly restored all-tube cutting system to a meticulously produced record sleeve and jacket that are in most ways difficult to distinguish from the original as described in previous ERC reviews.

The label has already reissued highly sought after Leonid Kogan recordings of Beethoven and Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto and here it adds his performance of the Brahms Violin Concerto in D Major with Kyril Kondrashin conducting The Philharmonia Orchestra originally released on EMI's Columbia label as SAX 2307.

How collectible is this one? According to Popsike.com, a copy sold on February 6th, 2016 for $3752. This tells you something about both Mr. Kogan's continued popularity (or cult, depending upon your perspective) and about how music enthusiasts continue to embrace vinyl as the superior means of musical and emotional communication.

Kogan's 20th century romantic style combined with his technical excellence produces an effortless, silky sound that expresses searing emotional intensity. Assuming you've heard a few other performances of this piece, you wouldn't have to be a Brahms or a violinist aficionado to notice Kogan's exceptional handling of the rousing Third Movement. And this is where I, never claiming to be an classical music expert, stop!

What I can write with complete assurance is that the mixer put Kogan well in front of the orchestra and in "reach out and touch it", fully expressive 3D. The orchestra is well-recorded in terms of transparency and harmonic richness, but it is otherwise somewhat dated sounding as is often the case with these older recordings. But Kogan is where you'll be spending your ear time. If you can't afford to spend $555 for a single new record, find a less expensive version and listen to how Kogan, who died at age 58, plays this piece.

Yes $555 is a great deal of money for a single record, but considering what an original costs and that this superb sounding reissue is limited to three hundred copies and ERC promises to never press more, it too is likely to appreciate in value over time.