FORGET the conventions of a classical guitarist perched on a chair, solemnly cradling his guitar.
Richard Durrant grabbed the attention of his audience from the off by making his entrance from the back of the auditorium, negotiating the steep steps to the performance area, barefoot, while playing Bach on a banjo.
He is not only a virtuoso musician, on most stringed instruments, he is an innovative and imaginative entertainer with an infectious sense of fun.
He embraces modern technology to enable him to play duets, trios and, at one stage, a quintet with other parts pre-recorded, by him of course, on a laptop. And I suspect that’s why he plays barefoot; to enable him to operate the electronic controls with his big toe.
Surprises abound. Star Wars storm troopers in their white armour appeared, on screen, to usher in Durrant, carrying a white guitar case, gun-style.
Ukulele, guitar and percussion, with imagery, were combined for a breathtaking arrangement of Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells.
To cap it all, we were taken back to childhood, if not ours then our children’s, with a tribute to Freddie Phillips who composed the music for the television series Trumpton and Camberwick Green, complete with stills from the shows.
It's been six years since Durrant last played in Corsham. Please don't let it be another six before you return, Richard.
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