The dominant lyrical and reflective aspects of Prokofiev’s Eighth and Ninth sonatas bring out the best in Peter Dmitriev. Each first movement benefits from the pianist’s ample tone and attention to bass lines, although faster passages come off a bit heavy next to the scintillation and translucency we hear from Sviatoslav Richter and François-Frederic Guy. For example, Dmitriev sometimes bends the basic tempo of the Eighth’s central slow movement for his hands to accommodate the increased textural activity, whereas Richter’s cumulative steadiness and ravishing legato technique make a relatively effortless impression.
Like his fellow budget-price competitor on Naxos, Bernd Glemser, Dmitriev resists being a speed demon in the Ninth’s Allegro Strepitoso and Finale, albeit without Glemser’s coloristic resources, nor Chiu’s balletic lightness and point. The Eighth’s lithe and witty Finale is solidly played, but it tends to lose color and a sense of line in louder moments.
Although Dmitriev’s spiky and rather square treatment of the Toccata could stand more character and tonal contrast (à la Matti Raekallio’s brilliant recording for Ondine), the pianist’s rock-steady moderate tempo and forthright approach makes you hear this piece as a musical composition rather than a virtuoso stunt. The resonant, vividly detailed sound doesn’t hurt either.
