Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897) composed the Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77, in 1878 and dedicated it to his friend, the violinist Joseph Joachim. 

Leonid Kogan (1924 - 1982) used to play two Guarneri del Gesù violins : the 1726 “ex-Colin” and the 1733 “ex-Burmester”. He used French bows by Dominique Peccatte. Many speculate that he played on all steel strings, though there is not an outright confirmation. While his close associates indicate he played on gut strings with a steel 'e', it is most likely that he used different combinations over the course of his career. 

The EMI Kogan recordings from 1950s and 1960s used to belong to Columbia, who released about five stereo recordings : Mendelssohn and Mozart Concerto No. 3 (SAX 1744), Brahms Violin Concerto (SAX 2307), Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto (SAX 2323), Lalo Symphonie espagnole (SAX 2329) and Beethoven Violin Concerto (SAX 2386), Today these original records are among the most sought-after for classical vinyl collectors; for example, the Beethoven Violin Concerto (SAX 2386) soars up to 10,000 sterling pounds in eBay auctions (ref : www.popsike.com).

The "golden age" of recordings was from 1955 to 1965, at the beginning of the LP and the stereo era, where pure vacuum tube amplification helped produce recordings demonstrating unparalleled fidelity and warmth, lifelike presence and illumination.

This Testament Records LP, revived from the EMI-Columbia catalogue, was remastered at EMI's Abbey Road Studios in London, using pure analogue components only, from the original studio tapes through to the cutting head, and was pressed at Pallas.