Butler University Faculty Artist Series: Kate Boyd, piano
Three and a half stars
Eidson-Duckwall Recital Hall; Jan. 29

Kate Boyd played four pieces for this recital, spanning the 1700s to today, and a little in between. George Frederic Handel’s Keyboard Suite in E major was played with slightly heavy hands at times, and I had a longing for more delicate playing. But her rendition of Ludwig von Beethoven’s Sonata in A flat major, Op.110 was moving. This later piano work was written during a time of turmoil for Beethoven — he was completely deaf and suffering from both physical and emotional issues, all of which seemed to find voice through this great work, which Boyd played convincingly. Daniel Koontz’s Three Improvements for Piano were exciting, virtuosic pieces, which Boyd seemed to relish. The opening movement immediately reminded me of Gyorg Liget’s Etudes with its frantic and constant movements going up the piano. After intermission, Johannes Brahms’ Variations and Fugue by Handel, Op. 24, an imaginative and enjoyable piece, concluded the program.