Search - Leonid Kogan: Interpretations on DVD

Out Of This World

teva_man | United States | 04/22/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is an INCREDIBLE recital (although not continuous, recorded over a period of days, probably, with the great violinist-teacher Erick Friedman narrating over Kogan's Russian intros to each piece). If you aren't familiar with Kogan, get ahold of this immediately. It will change the way you look at violin playing and Kogan could easily become your new favorite violinist. I first saw this when it was released in 1991 and it was eye-opening. The program is as follows: With unidentified orchestra (and seemingly no conductor), Tchaikovsky - Melodie and Valse-Scherzo and Waxman - Carmen Fantasy. With his daughter Nina at the piano, Brahms - Scherzo from FAE Sonata, Kreisler - Liebesfreud, Glazounov - Entr'act from "Raymonida" (this is a GORGEOUS arrangement for violin but unfortunately it's not performed or published in the USA.) And the piece de resistance and highlight of the disc, Nel Cor Piu Non Mi Sento by Paganini (solo). All are played flawlessly, with Kogan's usual enormous, radiant tone and splendid fingerwork. The director of photography captured some wonderful angles and close-ups of Kogan's legendary left-hand and bow arm. The sound engineer, if any, definitely didn't do well with the sound - much of the program sounds sharp (as noted in the other review.) Kogan was a rather shy individual and never liked being filmed but Thank the Gods he did this program. Highly, highly recommended for any advanced violinist.

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5-star playing, 3-star DVD

Beethoven111 | Palo Alto, CA | 01/26/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The playing is what you'd expect of Kogan, which is jaw dropping. I was disappointed with a couple of aspects of the production. First of all, though the DVD clearly indicates a 60 minute running time, it's only a 47 minute program, and part of it is Kogan providing only marginally insightful introductions to each piece. So you've only got about 40 minutes of music here. Second, at least a few of the tracks (though not all) play slightly too fast, as evidenced for instance by the FAE sonata which sounds a half step sharp.



Overall this disc is definitely worth owning for the Kogan enthusiast. The playing is stunning and the camera-work, though a little distracting at times, still gives you some very nice looks at Kogan's impeccable technique. The short program and odd playback speed make it not a GREAT value at $18 though."