The English pianist, Diana Boyle, was educated at St Paul’s Girl’s school and as a Foundation Scholar at the Royal College of Music in London. In 1970 she continued her studies under Professor Enrique Barenboim in Tel Aviv, and in 1973 was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study with Artur Balsam in New York. Balsam’s profound musical insight into the classical and chamber music repertoire, and his friendship and encouragement until his death in 1994, proved to be the pivital influence on Diana’s own musical life.
After making her London recital debut in 1979, Diana Boyle gave concerts in the USA, Canada, Spain, Portugal and England. She also taught piano and chamber music in London and in the USA. In 1987, she was invited to make a series of recordings for National Public Radio in Boston. This included performances of the J.S. Bach Partitas (BWV 825-830), the late Schubert Sonatas, and L.v. Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations (this recording was subsequently released on CD by Centaur Records USA in 1989). In 1990 Diana returned to the Bach Partitas (BWV 825-830), recording this time at Forde Abbey in Dorset, England (for Integra Records). She then turned to the late Johannes Brahms piano works (1994 Integra). J.S. Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier Book 2 (BWV 870-893) followed (2000 MSV), J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations (BWV 988) in 2003 (Elective Solitude Recordings) and this recording of J.S. Bach’s Art of Fugue (BWV 1080) (2009 ESR) - all taking place at Forde Abbey.
Diana Boyle’s love of the entire recording process, with its sense of solitude - the music made in privacy and surrounded by silence - followed by taking responsibility for all the editing decisions (with the meticulous technical support and loyalty of Brad Michel, her sound engineer), has enabled her to explore these extraordinary musical masterpieces in depth during the last twenty years.
In 2001, Diana Boyle moved from London to Southern Portugal. She is currently working on the complete Mozart piano sonatas. |