Album Reviews

The first stereo release from The Electric Recording Company is a reissue of Columbia SAX 2386 first released in 1959 . It is a much sought after record as the used prices for clean copies are nothing short of astronomical— $3000 and up. Kogan was born in the Ukraine in 1924 and died of a heart attack in 1982 at age 58 a few days after playing this piece in Vienna. His western discography isn't extensive and the few he recorded for the Columbia division of EMI are the most collectible.

There's a 'classical music for pleasure' reissue (EMI's budget classical reissue label) from the '70s going for considerably less and you can even find a site where you can download for $9.95 a "needle drop" of the original (along with RCAs, Mercury's etc.) that surely is totally illegal but maybe not. There are two YouTube URLs where you can stream the entire CD version. What a world.

The Electric Recording Company's version lovingly duplicates the original "fold over" jacket with printing done the old fashioned way. Unable to use the Columbia logo, they've changed it to EMI on both the jacket and the label.

Cutting was done from the original master tape on ERC's lovingly restored all-tube vintage system . Plating and pressing were done at Holland's Record Industry.

So what is so special about Kogan and this performance and recording? He's considered one of the 20th century's violin greats along with Heifetz, Milstein, Oistrakh and a some others, but regardless of lists and placement within such lists, his playing here is dramatic, forceful and intense, yet crystalline-silky. I don't feel all that comfortable writing about soloists or comparing this performance to others I've heard live and on record because I'm really not qualified, so I'll stop. You can learn more about the piece from the annotation than from me.

Let's just say it's a performance that you can listen to repeatedly and be thrilled every play. As for the recording, well it is an old stereo recording that's somewhat distant, with left-right separation that's strictly old school but it leaves the center for Kogan's violin, which is richly recording tonally and texturally. It's transparent and the transients are silky and natural thanks in part to ERC's cutting chain. I know that for a fact since I did compare ERC's Martzy reissues to the Coup D'Archet vinyl edition cut at Abbey Road on solid state gear and there is no comparison whatsoever. The Coup version sounds thick and congealed. The ERC is liquid and rich like this one.

Yes, it will cost you £300 and only 300 copies have been pressed so if you have the money, I can recommend it without hesitation. If you don't have the money but you have the interest, you can find the CFP version on Ebay and elsewhere at more reasonable prices but I'm not sure Kogan will be reproduced on that budget reissue with such transparency and clarity.

As for the pressing, clearly Record Industry does not "dehorn" its metal parts because the first few plays were plagued by pops and clicks that eventually disappeared. So clean, and play more than a few times before deciding if the pressing meets your satisfaction. Musically I guaranty you it will.