Steve Reich
English guitarist and composer.
Richard Durrant Dip RCM, ARCM, FLCM (born 2 November 1962) is an English guitarist and composer. He studied guitar, cello, and composition at the Royal College of Music in London between 1981 and 1986. Since his debut at the Purcell Room, London in July 1986, he has gained an international reputation as one of the great guitarists of his generation. He has pursued both performance and composition in an unconventional career that has avoided categorisation and he has built a faithful, ever expanding audience who warm to his unpretentious manner and natural skills of communication. He is one of the only classical guitar virtuosi who performs standing up.
- born
- 2 November 1962
- field
- Guitarist and composer
- nationality
- English
- known_for
- One of the only classical guitar virtuosi who performs standing up; champion of
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Richard Durrant studied guitar, cello, and composition at the Royal College of Music in London between 1981 and 1986. By the time he attended the Royal College of Music, he was an experienced performer with a growing reputation. He spent much of his time at college singing Bob Dylan songs in London's tube stations, hinting that he was unlikely to follow a conventional route. Following his debut recital at the South Bank, London in 1986, he pursued diverse interests in electro/acoustic music, improvisation, composition and multi-media. In the early 1990s Durrant toured as lead guitarist with the band Sky, their last UK tour, with venues including the Barbican and The Royal Festival Hall, London. He went on to perform regularly with Herbie Flowers. For several years Durrant toured a solo show billed as 'Richard Durrant – The Guitar Whisperer', using projections of specially commissioned short films as occasional backdrops. He also likes to include his striking interpretations of music by J.S. Bach on 'wrong' instruments such as banjo, tenor guitar and ukulele. In 2014 he released the minimalist styled album Cycling Music. To promote the album and raise money for charity (The Big C 2014 and the Cyclist Defence Fund – CDF – 2015) he toured over 3,000 miles around the UK with his one-man show, cycling the whole production from gig to gig on the back of his bike. The music from Cycling Music was used by the BBC during their coverage of Le Tour 2014. His Cycling Music tour was featured on ITV's The Cycling Show in July 2014.
Reader's Guide
Durrant's compositions include 'The Girl at the Airport' (for guitar and strings released 2016, recorded with the City of Prague Philharmonic Strings July 2015), 'Cycling Music' (for guitar, sequencers and bicycle percussion, released 2014), 'The Polar Bear' (for solo guitar with narrator, released 2013 and featuring the voice of Barry Cryer), 'Wilbury Summer' (released 1997), 'The Rucenitsa Guitar Quartet' (flute, guitar, viola and cello) and 'Superluminal' (voice, guitar, string-quartet & electronics). There is also a very early Clarinet Sonata (1982) and other instrumental works including numerous guitar solos ('La Isla del Paraguay', 'Apreton de Manos', 'The Early Learning Sonata'), children's songs and folk tunes as well as music for the BBC, including the BBC1 skating penguins logo & music for the CBBC cartoon series 'Metalheads' (Telemagination). He has written and sung numerous songs for BBC Schools TV programmes Numbertime and Watch. He has also produced recordings for other artists including The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain ('The Secret of Life' 2004) and Don Partridge ('The Highwayman' 2002). One of his more challenging performances is a reinterpretation of Steve Reich's Electric Counterpoint for soloist and 20 pre-recorded guitars. His concerts are difficult to categorise as he covers many styles and often includes improvisations and electronic treatments – but he is, at his core, a classical performer. In May 2011, Durrant was invited to launch his latest solo album in Paraguay and, whilst there, in recognition of his services as a champion of Agustín Barrios, he was officially proclaimed an Illustrious Visitor to Asunción. He has since returned to South America many times playing in Paraguay, Buenos Aires, Argentina and Arequipa, Peru. In November 2010 Durrant was awarded a fellowship of the London College of Music for professional achievement. He has been an official ambassador for the Brighton Youth Orchestra since 2015. He was chairman of the Adur Festival for many years until his resignation in 2005. In October 2002, as recognition of his work promoting art in the community, Richard was presented with a Daily Mail Golden Jubilee Award by Charles, Prince of Wales.
Did You Know?
- Richard Durrant is one of the only classical guitar virtuosi who performs standing up.
- He toured over 3,000 miles around the UK by bicycle for his Cycling Music tour, carrying the whole production on his bike.
- His music from Cycling Music was used by the BBC during their coverage of Le Tour 2014.
- In May 2011, he was officially proclaimed an Illustrious Visitor to Asunción, Paraguay for his services as a champion of Agustín Barrios.
- He was presented with a Daily Mail Golden Jubilee Award by Charles, Prince of Wales in October 2002 for his work promoting art in the community.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Steve Reich?
Steve Reich (born October 3, 1936) is an American composer widely recognized as the founding figure of the minimalist movement in classical music. He emerged in the mid-to-late 1960s with a distinctive style built on repetition, slow harmonic change, and layered canons.
What made Steve Reich's music so revolutionary?
Reich broke from the density of post-war avant-garde by focusing on what he called 'perceptible processes' — simple, audible musical changes that listeners can follow in real time. His use of tape loops to generate phasing patterns was a groundbreaking technique that no one had systematically explored before.
What are Steve Reich's most famous compositions?
Drumming (1971) and Music for 18 Musicians (1976) are generally regarded as his landmark works and essential listening for anyone exploring minimalism. Both pieces showcase his signature interlocking rhythmic patterns and gradual textural shifts.
How did Steve Reich develop his phasing technique?
Reich originally used tape loops to play two copies of the same rhythm at slightly different speeds, creating a slowly shifting alignment between the parts. He later translated that same effect into live performance, where musicians gradually drift in and out of sync without conductor intervention.
Why is Steve Reich important to the history of classical music?
He opened a path for a generation of composers who wanted audiences to experience music as a slow, unfolding process rather than a series of dramatic contrasts. His influence extends well beyond the concert hall, touching electronic music, film scoring, and contemporary orchestral writing.
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