I’m rather a fan of Naxos’ extensive Laureate Series, which sees the winners of various instrumental competitions given a recital disc in which to strut their stuff. At their best, these can result in distinctive, charismatic performances, showcasing the performer’s personalities, and at their worst, they can present stale and uninspired performances of stock-standard competition warhorses.

Dmytro Choni, the winner of the 2018 Santander piano competition (presumably the gap between his win and this release is a quirk of the Naxos release pipeline), chooses some interesting material here. This recital begins with some of the favourites from Debussy’s Images, Book 1, such as a glowing “Reflets dans l’eau” and a contemplative “Hommage à Rameau”. Choni’s recital gets really interesting, though, by continuing with Alberto Ginastera’s Sonata No 1, Op. 22. This is a powerful, virtuosic work, and Choni’s grasp of Ginastera’s rhythmic intricacies generates an irresistible drive throughout the whole piece.

There’s a diaphanous reading of Ligeti’s searching Etude No. 5 “Arc-en-ciel”, before turning to the largest piece in the programme: Prokofiev’s Sonata No 6, Op. 82. The first of Prokofiev’s “War Sonatas,” Choni’s performance is assured and authoritative – you get the...