Mozart Piano Sonatas: Nos 2, 6, 17; Fantasia in D minor K397

Peter Donohoe has excelled in many areas, notably his Scriabin recordings, as well as in Stravinsky, Rawsthorne, Messiaen and Shostakovich. His disc of Rachmaninov with Martin Roscoe on Naxos remains a joy. The present release comprises Volume 1 of a projected Mozart sonata cycle; terrain which has been traversed a million times on record, most notably in modern times by Uchida. Here, at his finest, Donohoe’s articulation can be a delight, as in the finale of the Sonata No 17 K570; elsewhere, however, there is a lack of connection between the pianist and composer, nowhere more so than the somewhat clumsy central Adagio of K570. The Adagio of K280/K189e (Sonata No 2) is similarly uninvolving.

The recording, made at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, is excellently judged and Christopher Morley provides a fine set of booklet notes; despite which a recommendation is not deserved.

COLIN CLARKE Read the full review on Agora Classica