Leonid Kogan and Naum Walter Play the Franck Sonata in 1967

This archival recording with restored audio is from a concert in the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory

A new archival recording of the renowned twentieth-century Soviet violinist Leonid Kogan is now available on YouTube. Here, Kogan performs Franck's Violin Sonata in A major alongside his frequent duo-partner, pianist Naum Walter.

Kogan was born into a Jewish family in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, though the family relocated to Moscow when he began to show promise on the violin. There, the young Kogan studied Abram Yampolsky, and regularly attended concerts given by Jascha Heifetz. The renowned Jacques Thibaud heard Kogan at the age of twelve, and praised his playing.

Soon after completing his studies at the Moscow Conservatory, Kogan was named the winner of the 1951 Queen Elisabeth Competition. The following year, he took up a teaching position at his alma mater, where he also formed a trio with pianist Emil Gilels and cellist Mstislav Rostropovich.

Despite not having as high a profile as his colleague David Oistrakh, Kogan received numerous honors — including being made an Honored Artist in 1955, a People's Artist of the USSR in 1964, and receiving the Lenin Prize in 1965.

This particular recording derives from a concert given in 1967 in the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory.