Music Q&A:
Richard Durrant

The renowned guitarist presents his Stringhenge show, featuring acoustic music inspired by the British Isles, in York,
22 Sept and Appleby, 24 Sept

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What informs your music and songwriting?
My writing and playing is informed by a lifetime in music. It all feeds in – joy, despair, births, bereavements, triumphs and failures. It all re-emerges from this strange wooden box called a guitar.

How have you evolved as an artist over the years?

I have evolved sufficiently to survive the continuing evolution of the music business and the new demands of a fast digital environment. But the wood of my guitar and the flow of my music onto a page is strictly analogue.

What are you up to at the moment artistically?
I’m currently putting the finishing touches to my ukulele concerto Six Grooves for Ukulele. It’s for solo uke, 17 piece chamber orchestra and community uke players who play from within the audience. It’s over half an hour long – a major piece of work for me written on the smallest of my wooden boxes.

What’s on your rider?
Peace and quiet during my get-in and sound-check is the main thing. I also ask for hot vegetarian food and bottled water pre-show and a pint of local ale when I come off stage.

Tell us your most embarrassing or surreal experience.
Gluing my hands together shortly before walking onstage to perform a concerto with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was somewhat testing and definitely surreal.

What song do you wish you’d written?
I wish I’d written All You Need is Love. An anthem for us all, especially in 2017. It also means I’d be a Beatle and would get to play with George, Ringo and Paul.

What’s your worst lyric?
“Miniature man… come out the fridge” takes some beating.

Durrant plays National Centre for Early Music, York,  22 Sept and Appleby Public Hall, Cumbria, 24 Sept

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