Richard Durrant: indie-classical composer and concert guitarist

Photo: Richard DurrantRichard Durrant is an indie-classical composer and concert guitarist who plays guitar with great enthusiasm and skill. The word ‘passion’ is much overused these days but, as our episode today shows, it’s an apt description for Richard’s relationship with all forms of music. He is a connoisseur of the guitar, playing a bog oak, nylon-strung guitar made by Northumberland luthier Gary Southwell, and it was a visit to the workshop that brought him here on May 1st to play a concert as part of his anniversary tour celebrating 40 years of performance. The set list reflected his wide-ranging taste and included his own compositions and works by Bach, John Renbourn, Scarlatti, Bert Jansch and his favourite classical composer, Agustin Barrios.We talked about Richard’s musical journey, taking in folk, classical and improvised music, the joy of cycling between performances, the value of being neurodiverse, and why playing Bach on the banjo is so rewarding.This episode includes three of Richard’s compositions. They are: Wheels Above Clouds from his album Cycling Music; Forr All Mankinne Nede from the album Rewilding; and The Girl at the Airport Part 2. Danza from the album of the same name.You can find Richard’s music on Bandcamp at https://richarddurrant.bandcamp.com/and the usual streaming platforms with the exception of Spotify. As this episode is published, Richard’s tour is still in progress and there’ll be another chance to hear him play at Alnwick on August 29th. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 3tynespodcast.substack.com