Hard on the heels of his engaging recital with cellist Tomá Jamník (12/08), Ivo Kahánek returns with a programme of Czech piano repertoire. The two sonatas are the best-known works, Janácek's with over 20 rival versions. Kahánek provides a fascinating account, beautifully phrased in playing of, at times, steely precision. In the finale, "Death", he deftly highlights the motivic interplays that feature throughout this remarkable music; his is a clear match for the highly regarded Charles Owen version on Somm, equally impressively recorded. Martinu's Sonata (1954) is no less special a creation, though with only five alternative versions it has had less than its due. Kahánek rightly views it as a cousin of Fantaisies symphoniques from the previous year, finding poetry which others have failed to draw out. Koukl remains first choice, but as his lies within an all-Martinu survey, it is not a direct competitor.

The remaining pieces provide the novelties, most notably the largest item, Miloslav Kabelác's Eight Preludes (1954-56). This is a richly rewarding and euphonious set, each prelude concentrating on a specific aspect. Like Janácek, Kabelác often obsesses over short rhythmic cells; in the final Preludio impetuoso he evokes his forebear with a motif the Moravian master might have penned himself. As an encore, Kahánek plays three early Janácek fugues (1879-80); the first two - in G minor and A minor - are brief and insubstantial but the A major third is impressive. They may contain no hint of his later voice but they cast a novel light on Janácek's musical origins.