Soon after his shared second-prize success in the 1982 Tchaikovsky Competition, Peter Donohoe recorded a splendid Prokofiev Sixth Sonata for his EMI solo debut (3/83). In 1991 he recorded the Sixth again for EMI, along with the two other ‘War’ Sonatas, Nos 7 and 8 (11/91). A quarter of a century later, he revisits these three works anew to conclude his Prokofiev sonata cycle for Somm.

Donohoe’s new Seventh easily surpasses his earlier version. A slightly faster pace and more variegated staccato articulation impart a more graceful, less rigid shape to the opening movement’s Allegro inquieto section, abetted by Somm’s warmer sonic patina and realistic ambience. The Andante caloroso has gained textural heft and expressive sobriety. I approve, although I miss 1991’s curvaceous moments and lighter touch. But the new Precipitato’s subtler dynamic calibrations and sharper attention to cross-rhythmic phrase groupings and implied countermelodies reveal more of the music behind Prokofiev’s motoric machine.

As before, Donohoe decisively and ferociously launches into the Sixth’s proclamatory Allegro moderato. Despite his astute voicing of the short woodwind-like chords, Donohoe’s sedate second movement tempo falls short of a bona fide Allegretto, at least by Yefim Bronfman’s standards. While Donohoe’s Vivace finale retains its erstwhile clarity and sweeping momentum, it’s slower, less supple and frankly less exciting when compared to his earlier readings, not to mention Matti Raekallio’s astonishingly controlled diablerie. The opposite holds true for the Eighth’s Vivace, where Donohoe’s keyboard ‘orchestration’ now proves more pointed and finely honed. If the first movement’s climaxes don’t reach Gilels’s harrowing boiling point, Donohoe still manages to sustain and keep afloat this long and sometimes discursive music. He conveys the Andante sognando’s minuet sensibility well; but shouldn’t the little pedal-point episode at 1'53" shimmer more softly and magically à la Richter or, indeed, Donohoe’s younger self?

It goes without saying that the intelligence and seasoned artistry governing Donohoe’s best Prokofiev performances deserve serious consideration. However, Raekallio’s consistent interpretative strength and Ondine’s more colourful engineering remain references for recorded Prokofiev sonata cycles on disc.