Richard Durrant visits the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford on his cycling UK tour for his new album The Sleep of a King

 

Guitarist and composer Richard Durrant embarks on his second marathon trip this summer, cycling the length of Britain from Orkney to Sussex, performing fifteen concerts enroute on his Music for Midsummer tour, including an evening at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford on Tuesday 21 June. Durrant says: ‘Cycling and playing solo is more practical than the larger musical

 

Durrant will be completing the entire tour on a specially built Aurelius, audax-style bicycle with a trailer carrying his instruments and concert gear. Durrant’s bicycle stands next to him at each concert, its lights illuminating his performance. His series of cycling tours are motivated by the environmental impact of constant touring. He estimates he travelled an average of 35,000 miles playing concerts in the years leading up to his first cycling music tour in 2014.

 

At this concert Richard will play his Sussex downland inspired The Crest, The Coombe, The Twitten and the richly melodic Book of Spells on a concert guitar made from a 5,000 year old English oak. Richard will also play Bach on a ukulele made from cedar rescued from the Oregon Biscuit Fire. A classical guitar virtuoso, he never lets technical fireworks get in the way of the emotional impact of his music. The album and tour feature entirely new compositions.

 

Durrant says: ‘Thirty-eight years after my London debut and performances at the Royal Albert Hall, I feel blessed to be undertaking this tour. Apart from the music by Bach which opens and closes each concert, these concerts are about my own solo guitar music. The audience are the focus of my concerts. I want people to feel welcome and appreciated; it’s for them that I play music and tell stories of troubadours, council binmen and Persian princes. I stand throughout to make communication with the audience more direct and to take the guitar as far away from the classical realm as possible.’

 

For more information and to book tickets, visit: Yvonne-Arnaud.co.uk. Alternatively, contact the Box Office on 01483 44 00 00 (Mon-Fri, 10am to 5pm)