Archive for category: News

The final week of the tour was wonderfully busy with Richard Durrant giving five performances from Lincolnshire right down to Sussex. 

Continue the story of his amazing Music for Midsummer journey…

And as the sun rose on the Summer Solstice the immersive audio version of the new album The Sleep of a King went live on all streaming platforms and Richard found himself in Guildford preparing for his open air concert at YA Theatre Guildford

The next morning Richard headed for the south coast, pleased to be heading straight towards his beloved Sussex downs. With his fitness well established and the bike and trailer nicely in trim the miles appeared to whizz by easier than before.

Daughter Daisy took this snap of her excited Dad by the wooden heron in Shoreham where 25 years earlier Richard had played at the unveiling of the sculpture along with children from Heronsdale School.

Richard’s next, and rather important stop off, was to see his trusted nail technician Amy… 

“My nails had survived all the gigs so far – but I was pleased and relieved to be able to visit Amy on my way through Shoreham. Amy coats my nails with a protective gel and she’s earned my trust over many years. I won’t let anybody else near my nails!“

Said Richard

And then it was onto Brighton Open Air Theatre for another Solstice celebration. This time with Richard’s home crowd.

And the tour continues with Richard cycling out from Shoreham for his four remaining shows in Tunbridge Wells tonight, Clayton (Sold Out), Bexhill-on-Sea (part of Bexhill Festival of Music) and the Summer Tour finale at Ropetackle at the end of July.

And the tour continues with Richard cycling out from Shoreham for his four remaining shows…

Catch up with Music for Midsummer in Tunbridge Wells tonight, Clayton (Sold Out), Bexhill-on-Sea (part of Bexhill Festival of Music) and the Summer Tour finale at Ropetackle at the end of July.

Cycle with Richard

How about joining Richard on his cycle from Shoreham to Bexhill on Sea and see his concert at Bexhill Festival of Music? 

Book your tickets below and meet Richard and the Durrant’s family run Pollinator Cafe, Forthaven BN43 5HY at 8.30am on Weds 29 June. Departure will be around 9am after coffee and croissants!

Please note: You will have to be responsible for yourself and your own bike if you take part in this event.. Richard will set off and head for the concert at his own speed. The distance is approx 44 miles.Richard’s average speed fully laden is 11mph.

As Richard Durrant began his Music for Midsummer musical, cycling pilgrimage on Orkney, the sun broke out during the ferry crossing and stayed for the entire visit.

First stop was Stromness Academy to meet some of the music students:

Next, Richard took the Bog Oak guitar to the Ring of Brodgar. The plan was to introduce the neolithic timber to the neolithic stones – and then perhaps play a piece of music. The guitar had other ideas…

The concert in St Magnus Cathedral was a huge success attended by a large audience.

Early the next morning Richard returned to the Scottish mainland to begin his journey south for concerts in Inverness, Dundee and Greyfriars Edinburgh.

‘It’s been fascinating playing a concert containing so much of my own music. It makes me dig deep to find the colours and the clarity of phrasing to draw people in. This is because I know it’s the audience’s first listening.’

Says Richard

The tour continued as Richard crossed the border heading for Upfront near Penrith, Cumbria for the Friday night show.

On Saturday 11th June he’ll be at Lancaster Priory, then a huge ride is needed to get him to the National Centre for Early Music in York for Sunday’s evening concert on 12 June.

The challenge of the ride!
Richard will have covered well over 1,000 miles by the time the tour is completed.  The early stages were not without problems due to the amount of weight the bike has to carry.  

On two separate occasions Richard had to find a welding shop to repair the luggage rack fixings and then, by Dundee, the trailer couplings were in need of attention.  

But as the ride progressed the Aurelius bicycle found its balance and began to feel well trimmed and more than happy to purr its way through the miles.

“Cycling through the British Isles has strongly reminded me of my early days as a vegetarian – everything has to be carefully planned because nothing is going to be easy and most people will express either surprise or total bafflement.  The connections continue: first, we can’t continue to travel by burning fossil fuels and, second, the planet will starve or overheat if we continue to depend on a diet of animal protein.“

Added Richard

Richard Durrant’s mammoth midsummer cycling concert tour will feature all the music from The Sleep of a King. This is part of the release of his new solo album made up entirely of his own guitar solos…

Recorded recently in St Botolph’s Church, a tiny, Saxon church on the South Downs Way next to the river Adur, the album recordings were captured by the pioneering sound engineer Matt Saunders using an array of specialist mics.

Matt was sound technician at the Royal College of Music when Richard was a student. His recent projects recording Evan Parker and Lawrence Casserley have been typically experimental.

“It is a fantastic experience hearing music recorded in this way. You feel exactly as if you are in the church with the sound high above and behind you and the guitar ideally placed just in front of you.”

Says Richard

The tour programme starts with Bach’s entire 3rd Cello Suite on the ukulele following by the music from the album. The title track, The Sleep of a King is in three parts in the form of three dreams:

“Although there is something English going on here (the King asleep under the hill) I also wanted to give names to the King’s dreams. Invocation, Supplication and Submission are my idealised choices.”

Added Richard

The recording will be available in various immersive audio formats including binaural audio – a fully immersive audio format designed for headphones – as well as conventional stereo. CD and vinyl releases are being planned to follow.

In addition to The Sleep of a King, the album will also include Book of a Spells. This is an interesting collection of strongly melodic episodes, each representing different spells: a spell to mesmerise, one to create good fortune, a spell to call a halt etc.

Also on the album is a new recording of The Crest The Coombe The Twitten, a celebration of the downs around Brighton – see video below.

Fancy a week away in the French sunshine? Well, you’d better be quick because the first of Richard’s two French Guitars Adventurers holidays is already sold out…

Richard Durrant’s French Guitar Adventurers holiday is for classical and acoustic players of mixed styles and abilities.

It takes place in July and September each year in the South of France.

Up to 10 guitarists spend a week together developing musical and technical ideas and working towards an end of week concert. 

‘Guitarists of all abilities and experience gather together in the most beautiful place to share their love of music and develop their technique. We are well looked after with great food and we have a lot of fun!’

Richard says

Here are two examples written for the folks from last September’s FGA – the first since the pandemic:

Firstly, have a listen to this arrangement of The Wedding by Abullah Ibrahim.

And here is Richard’s own Fête du Feu.

Spaces are now only available for the 12-18 September week and participants are welcome to bring a guest.

Running for two weeks from Thursday 2 December across England and Wales, this will be the first live tour for nearly two years.

Richard Durrant’s Christmas Candlelit Tour promises a welcome seasonal feast with Christmas songs and wintry Folk, traditional carols and solo guitar music – plus a few surprises!

The picture above shows Richard, Brian, Amy, Felix and Django rehearsing ahead of the tour starting on Thursday.

ICE GARDEN
A new setting of Christina Rossetti’s poem

This year’s programme will include the Harold Darke arrangement of In the Bleak Midwinter – that most famous setting of Christina Rossetti’s words – plus Richard has also written his own setting of another Rossetti poem.  

This brand new piece, called Ice Garden, will be sung by Amy Kakoura and Richard accompanied by Richard’s classical guitar and Brian Gulland’s bassoon.

Other Durrant originals included in the set are Richard’s Christmas in Our Town, The Haw Frost Song (co-written with daughter Daisy) and Django’s Is it all for Christmas?

The combination of instruments is also rather interesting, perhaps unique! Certainly wintry…

• RICHARD is playing classical, acoustic and tenor guitars as well as cello. 
• BRIAN will play crumhorn, bassoon, keyboards and a selection of recorders and whistles.
• The youngest member of the band, Richard’s son FELIX,will leave his double bass at home in favour of his Fender Jazz bass guitar, but he will also double on keyboards.
• And Felix’s brother DJANGO has made himself a drum kit incorporating cajon (with a kick drum pedal) and glockenspiel. 
• The band will join lead singer AMY for additional vocals in the ‘SATB’ carols (Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass).