UK guitar maestro allies his revered technique to everything he can lay his hands on in his studio. Hammond, harpsichord, piano, cello, mandolins, ukulele and recorders are heard alongside Durrant's guitars. And just when you think the Christmas mix cannot get any richer, up pops the gravelly voice of comedy legend Barry Cryer on The Polar Bear. This time Barry plays it straight, reciting haiku verse in Durrant's moving depiction of a mother bear and her cubs' desperate swim for food and survival through the Arctic ice floes. This piece, inspired by the well-documented plight of the bears in their changing Arctic environment, deserves a place in the our hearts alongside Tales of the Riverbank and Trumpton. The pared-back poignancy of Finnish song Joululaulu, about a young girl visiting her mother's grave on Christmas morning, and Phil Jewson's Because of Christmas Day (written for Durrant) also showcase Durrant in his element – gorgeous, solo guitar with nothing added. Anchoring the whole album is Durrant’s masterly tone poem An Acoustic Winter Solstice, full of icy wonder and otherworldliness. The quotation on the sleeve is from Tove Janssen’s Moominland Midwinter - sentiments echoing the magic of this wonderful album. 'TIS THE SEASON OF GUITARS, BELLS, WHISTLES AND . . . BARRY CRYER LEADING UK concert guitarist Richard Durrant has poured his lifelong love of all things midwinter into his most ambitious solo album to date. Christmas Guitars is a deeply personal, kaleidoscopic vision of what the season of goodwill means to this most gifted and eclectic of performers. Traditional and original compositions – beautiful, old folk tunes and carols, and modern pieces – go hand in hand as father of four Durrant not only celebrates the excitement and joy Christmas continues to bring to him and his young family, but also evokes both the Christian and pagan significance of this time of year. Amy Kakoura's haunting lead vocals give several songs the tingle factor, most notably Emmanuel and the beautiful Clannad-style arrangement of A Northern Winter Night, written by Paul Cartledge. Durrant also makes excellent use of what he describes as the "smiley, Beano character" singing of his eight-year-old son Felix and the no-holds-barred enthusiasm of the choir of St Nicolas and St Mary's Primary School, Shoreham-by-Sea, in songs he has written for his local church Nativity over the last 17 years. Indeed, "more is more" on many tracks as the Sussex guitar maestro allies his revered technique to every bell and whistle he can lay his hands on in his studio. Hammond organ, harpsichord, piano, cello, mandolins, ukulele and recorders are heard alongside Durrant's beloved guitars (oh - and sleigh bells...). And just when you think the Christmas mix cannot get any richer, up pops the gravelly voice of comedy legend Barry Cryer on The Polar Bear. The I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue star this time plays it straight, reciting haiku verse in Durrant's moving depiction of a mother bear and her cubs' desperate swim for food and survival through the Arctic ice floes. This piece was inspired by the well-documented plight of the bears as their Arctic environment continues to change. Durrant announces his world-class guitar credentials from track one with a new version of the popular piece, Danza by Ruiz Pipo, which he played, in his 20s, with the supergroup Sky during their last-ever UK tour. And anchoring the whole album is his masterly tone poem An Acoustic Winter Solstice, full of icy wonder and otherworldliness. It is no surprise to discover Durrant is a big fan of Tove Jansson's Moominland Midwinter. On the other side of the sonic coin, the pared-back poignancy of Finnish song Joululaulu, about a young girl visiting her mother's grave on Christmas morning, and Phil Jewson's Because of Christmas Day (written for Durrant) also showcase Durrant in his element – gorgeous, solo guitar with nothing added. Richard Durrant - Christmas Guitars LongMan062CD Release date 21st October 2013 with Amy Kakoura -vocals St Nicolas & St Mary School Choir and the voice of Barry Cryer Richard Durrant himself writes: “I always wanted to make a Christmas album that could explain everything that Christmas means to me. As with most people, that’s a lot to ask. My album would have to describe the magic that I still feel on Christmas Eve, a belief in Father Christmas and the Christmas story and the power of the solstice (so perfectly described in Moominland Midwinter). I would have to try to capture the poignant, midwinter sadness of missing those no longer with us, and the excitement of children that enables a parent to once again feel the absolute joy that Christmas brings. As I’m still in that wonderful stage of my life where our young children are still at home and family Christmas is at its strongest – now was the time to make my album. A helpful factor in the making of the album is that my wife and I have helped produce our church Nativity for the last 17 years and I have shelves groaning under the weight of all the songs I’ve written. There are dozens about donkeys and babies and wise men! I wanted to include my favourites so, from the start, the album had to be more than just guitar solos. I then had to search for a beautiful solo voice and was blessed to meet Amy Kakoura, who sings like an angel. I also used the voices of my four children and their school choir. The immediacy and naturalness of these young singers fitted perfectly with my ideas. The music I write and arrange is always visually informed. I strive hard to place my notes and instruments in an imaginary landscape. This album’s landscape was wintry and northern European; there was a hoar frost, Christian purity, pagan magic; there were Nativity scenes and even a little girl visiting the grave of her mother on Christmas morning. In the Arctic, a family of polar bears move slowly towards the sea and all under a clear, beautiful, winter sky with the universe looking down on a baby (‘with the power of God held in its hand’). Every note on this album sits somewhere within this picture and each note is as shiny and magical as I could make it. I’m a Christian and I attend a wonderful little church, on a beach, in Sussex. It’s the same church that my wife’s family has attended since the 1930s and where we were married. I was confirmed a few years ago and recently trained as a minister of communion. so the two words “Christmas Guitars” are important to me. I have also lived my life in awe of the natural world and this led to my layman’s interest in physics. I’m very respectful of alternative views, especially earth-based spiritual beliefs, paganism, pantheism and even atheism. For this reason, the midwinter aspect of my album is very much there alongside the Christian celebration. I even asked my designer to include in his artwork the passage of the sun from Sagittarius to Capricorn, as well as the astrological sign for the earth and for fire. The earth symbol is a simple circle with a cross inside it. On my album you can see this symbol now contains the Christian cross (actually the cross of St Lorraine which is commonly used by the Jesuits in South America – its familiar double transept can also be seen on the artwork for my second Paraguayan album, Hijo de Hombre). For me, there is no conflict contained in any of this imagery. On Christmas Guitars, I’ve tried to put into words and music something which many people will understand and identify with (although perhaps those people who enjoy Jethro Tull’s Solstice Bells more than Bing Crosby’s White Christmas will especially enjoy this album). And with the great Barry Cryer reading my story of the Polar Bear, there should be something for everybody...” Richard Durrant July 2013 www.richard-durrant.com Facebook Twitter Soundcloud YouTube