Somm's first volume of Peter Donohoe's performances of the piano sonatas of Sergey Prokofiev presented the first five sonatas in numerical order. However, the second volume jumps ahead, offering the Sonata No. 9 in C major, the tiny fragment of the Sonata No. 10, the two Sonatinas, Op. 54, and the Sonata in C major for cello and piano. This suggests that fresh recordings of the missing War sonatas Nos. 6 - 8 might appear on a third volume some day, though until that happens, the gap may be a little worrisome to collectors. While some may have access to Donohoe's 1987 EMI album of those sonatas, their absence here is likely to generate some impatience. Be that as it may, Donohoe gives plenty to appreciate on this disc, with a potent interpretion of Sonata No. 9, and an expressive rendition of the Cello Sonata, with cellist Raphael Wallfisch playing in fine form. Because the sonata fragment and the sonatinas seem like addenda to the sonatas, they make this disc feel a bit unsatisfying, though the performances are first-rate and will satisfy serious fans of Prokofiev.
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