Leonid Kogan
One of the 20th century's greatest violinists, Leonid Kogan was less widely known than his somewhat older contemporary David Oistrakh, but no less a first-tier artist. More concentrated in tonal focus and with a quicker vibrato than Oistrakh and others of the Russian school, Kogan was avowedly a man of his time. His espousal of the four-octave scale for exercises assured the infallibility of his technique by strengthening his fingering hand in the upper positions. Although he died at age 58, he had amassed a discography that remains as a commanding legacy. Although his were not especially musical parents, Kogan conceived a fascination for the violin by age three. At six, he began lessons with Philip Yampolsky, a pupil of Leopold Auer. When Kogan's family moved to Moscow when he was ten, he began studies with Abram Yampolsky (no relation to Philip, but another Auer disciple). Kogan progressed through the Central School of Music, then the Moscow Conservatory, where he trained from 1943 to 1948. Postgraduate studies at the conservatory occupied him from 1948 until 1951. At age 12, Kogan was heard by violinist Jacques Thibaud, who predicted a great career for him. Although his parents resisted exploiting their son as a prodigy, Kogan made his debut at 17 and performed in many Soviet venues while still a student. Wider recognition came when Kogan shared first prize at the 1947 Prague World Youth Festival. In 1951, he won first prize at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. Oistrakh, who was a member of the jury (along with Thibaud), thereafter came to regard Kogan as a colleague, while Kogan closely observed his elder associate during the latter's evening classes for other students. After teaching at the Moscow Conservatory and playing a busy schedule of concerts in the Soviet Union over the next few years, Kogan made his first appearances in Paris and London in 1955, following those with a tour of South America in 1956 and another of the United States in 1957. Less gregarious than Oistrakh, Kogan was not as aggressively promoted abroad by the Soviet government. After being named People's Artist in 1964, Kogan received the Lenin Prize in 1965.
© TiVo
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Leonid Kogan plays Russian Music [Prokofiev, Khachaturian, Khrennikov, Weinberg, Denisov]
Concertos - Released by Praga Digitals on 1 May 2017
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: Concerto pour violon, Op. 35 & Souvenir d'un lieu cher, Op. 42 (Stereo Version)
Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, Constantin Silvestri, Leonid Kogan
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
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Brahms & Tchaikovsky: Violin Concertos
Classical - Released by JSC Firma Melodiya on 1 Jan 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Khachaturian: Violin Concerto & Saint-Saëns: Havanaise (Remastered, Mono Version)
Leonid Kogan, Pierre Monteux, Boston Symphony Orchestra
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1958
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Johannes Brahms: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra Op.77 · Aram Khachaturian: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Minor
Henryk Szeryng, Leonid Kogan, Pierre Monteux, London Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released by G.O.P. on 31 Jul 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Haydn: Piano Trios H.XV Nos.16 & 19 / Beethoven: Piano Trios WoO38 & Op.97 / Schumann: Piano Trio Op.63 / Fauré: Piano Quartet Op.15
Mstislav Rostropovich, Emil Gilels, Leonid Kogan, Rudolf Barshai
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn, Bruch & Bach : Violin Concertos
Concertos - Released by Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga Musica on 25 May 2018
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Gilels-Kogan-Rostropovich Trio Recordings
Chamber Music - Released by DOREMI on 1 Jan 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Concerto pour violon, Op. 61 (Stereo Version)
Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, Constantin Silvestri, Leonid Kogan
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Chausson: Poeme for Violin and Piano, Op. 25
Classical - Released by Music Online on 31 Jan 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Violin Sonata No.3 in C Major, BWV 1005 - Prokofiev: Sonata No. 2 In D, Op. 94 Bis
Classical - Released by Pirouette Records on 27 Jul 1965
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Great Conductors: Kirill Kondrashin Conducts Beethoven & Scriabin Concertos
Leonid Kogan, Dmitri Bashkirov, USSR State Radio Orchestra of Folk Instruments, Kirill Kondrashin
Concertos - Released by Jube Classic on 5 Aug 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Khachaturian: Concerto pour violon (Mono Version)
Leonid Kogan, Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, Aram Ilyitch Khatchaturian
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1954
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky, Sarasate & Others: Works for Violin & Orchestra
Leonid Kogan, Grand Symphony Orchestra, Vassily Nebolsin, Alexander Gauk
Classical - Released by Russian Compact Disc on 3 Jul 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bruch, Brahms & Sarasate: Works for Violin & Orchestra (Live)
Leonid Kogan, The USSR Symphony Orchestra, Abram Makarov, Kirill Kondrashin
Classical - Released by Russian Compact Disc on 6 Aug 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Violin Sonatas / Sonaten für Violine & Cembalo, BWV 1014-1019 (Remastered 2021)
Classical - Released by Eurodisc on 28 May 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lalo: Symphonie Espagnole, Op. 21 by Leonid Kogan
Leonid Kogan, Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, Charles Bruck
Classical - Released by Alexandre Bak - Classical Music Reference Recording on 26 Dec 2021
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Kogan & Gilels in Concert: Beethoven Violin Sonatas Nos. 3, 5 & 9 (Live)
Classical - Released by DOREMI on 3 Aug 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 6 & Cantabile, Op. 17
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1955
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pablo de Sarasate: Works for Violin
The USSR TV and Radio Large Symphony Orchestra, Andrei Mytnik, Naum Walter, Vassily Nebolsin, Alexander Orlov, Leonid Kogan
Classical - Released by Archipel on 25 Mar 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo