Testament’s mining of the late mono and early stereo recordings from the vaults of EMI and other labels has yielded a host of valuable reissues, not least among them the recent series of violinist Leonid Kogan’s first Western European studio sessions. Kogan toiled in the enormous shadow of his compatriot, David Oistrakh, whose tonal brilliance and overt intensity he balanced with a dazzling technique and a simpler, more direct approach that had its own validity. Many of Kogan’s later stereo versions of the works on the Testament series, such as the remake of the Tchaikovsky Concerto with Constantin Silvestri, are superior to these. But even so, anyone interested in great violin playing will be grateful that these earlier versions have been restored to circulation, especially since Testament’s refurbished sound enhances their appeal.
In the Tchaikovsky Concerto, for example, Kogan plays with gorgeous tone; his entrance is more subdued than we’ve become used to, but it’s full of poised elegance that builds in intensity. He spins the long, delicate line of the slow movement with feeling, and his Finale is full of sharply accented vigor. His velvety low register is compelling in itself. The orchestral frame however, is flawed, beginning with the acidulous Parisian winds at the work’s opening and continuing through conductor André Vandernoot’s perfunctory accompaniment. There are small cuts in the Finale as well, although Kogan more often played the work without them.
The Prokofiev is better, more unbuttoned and alive, with Kogan’s big, vibrant tone carrying the day, especially in the ravishing Andante. However, the accompaniment is routine and the recording muffles the backwardly placed orchestra. The stereo fillers add a substantial 17 minutes of liquid, honeyed violinism backed by sympathetic accompaniments.
