New Sussex dates for guitar virtuoso Richard Durrant

He performs at the Hurst Festival (Holy Trinity Church), on Saturday, September 22 (8pm), and at The Ropetackle, Shoreham, on October 16 (7.30pm).

Stringhenge is Richard Durrant’s first double album, available on double vinyl, double CD and as a download.

A spokesperson said: “In his latest offering composer and guitar virtuoso Richard Durrant is once again living on the folk/classical cusp with the first of these two LPs, featuring a collection of solo instrumentals.

“The uncategorisable Durrant chose to record on a concert guitar crafted from a 5,000 year old English Oak by Gary Southwell, a four string tenor guitar made in Ditchling by Ian Chisholm (decorated with a silver Uffington Horse) and a humble ukulele.

“From the offset his recitalist’s credentials are apparent in a collection of confident, jazzy and very English arrangements of JS Bach placed alongside Durrant’s distinctive renditions of British Folk tunes and his own evocative pieces.

“This style of guitar playing could be described as ‘English Folk Baroque’ with echoes of Renbourn and Jansch but, as one of the truly great guitarists of his generation, Durrant seems to rise above any glib comparisons with his carefree fluency of technique and musical confidence.

“Typically for Durrant there is more than a whiff of ‘prog’ about this production not least in the artwork by Sussex artist Mark Charlton who depicts the Sussex landscape mixed with guitar parts colliding with bits of Neolithic bog oak. “On the second LP, The English Guitar Hymnal, Durrant is no longer the virtuoso soloist. Instead he adds touches of double bass, cello, shruti box, mandolin, keyboards and even lead vocals. He is also joined by some stellar players including recorder whizz Piers Adams, Howard Beach (harpsichord and chamber organ), master fiddler Nick Pynn and percussionist Stephen Hiscock.”

The Hurstpierpoint gig is a Stringhenge show. Tickets are £15 from 01273 833696.

Tickets for the The Ropetackle show (not Stringhenge) cost £5-£16 from 01273 464440 or www.ropetacklecentre.co.uk.

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