Composer John Metcalfe Releases New Holiday Album, Carols Without Words, November 11

On Friday, November 11, 2022, Platoon releases composer John Metcalfe's new holiday album, Carols Without Words.

Metcalfe composed ten stunning new orchestral arrangements of holiday classics, incorporating his signature blend of instrumental melodies and ambient electronica, and recorded them at Abbey Road Studios in September 2022.

The selected carols include classics such as Silent Night, Coventry Carol, It Came Upon A Midnight Clear, and more, closing with an upbeat version of 16th-century carol Gaudete, featuring a virtuosic violin solo played by Britten Sinfonia leader Thomas Gould. Graphic designer and Art Director of The New York Times Magazine, Matt Wiley, designed the accompanying artwork.

Metcalfe listened to dozens of carols before settling on a shortlist that spans the centuries. "It was a little bit like a luthier choosing a piece of wood," he says, "I wanted a range of reflective, happy, sad and celebratory music - the way that we might feel during a holiday. Each carol has its own merit but together they offer variety." He was keen that the music should not become a Christmas pastiche. To that end, there are no sleigh bells here: "I didn't want this album to be too spangly," he explains, "there's a little bit of tambourine, but otherwise I've treated the melodies as I would any other arrangement."

While John Williams's arrangement of Carol of the Bells for 1990's Home Alone features choristers and punchy brass, John Metcalfe's 2022 version which opens the album gives the main action to the strings. That's not surprising: the composer is a viola player with decades of experience in string quartets and arranging string parts (and others) for bands including Blur, The Pretenders, and Coldplay.

Similarly, New Zealander John Metcalfe realizes that the holidays are not always happy for everyone, nor are they as snowy or cold in some parts of the world as many of the carols describe. He says, "Christmas inspires lots of different emotions - it can be a very painful time for some people. Reimagining carols without lyrics makes them more accessible. The focus here is the melody."

Composer, multi-instrumentalist, producer and arranger to the likes of U2, Coldplay, Peter Gabriel and Blur, New Zealander John Metcalfe is one of the most sought after musicians, arrangers and composers in the business. In addition to his collaborations with a huge range of artists from pop, electronica and classical and his work in radio/television he tours and records with his own band and as violist with the renowned classical Duke String Quartet. He was a member of cult band Durutti Column and alongside Tony Wilson launched the pioneering Factory Classical on Manchester's legendary Factory label. He also performs and records with the Max Richter Ensemble.

Since 2010, John has worked extensively with Peter Gabriel, writing arrangements for his album, Scratch My Back, and for the accompanying world tour and, in 2011, he co-produced the New Blood album with Gabriel, arranging and orchestrating versions of songs from his back catalog. More recently John orchestrated an evening of Thin Lizzy songs for the RTE Concert Orchestra and has been back working with Coldplay and Matchbox 20 whilst arranging and conducting the orchestra for Andrea Bocelli's upcoming new album. John started releasing his own music in 2001, with The Inner Line, followed by Scorching Bay and A Darker Sunset. John's fourth album, The Appearance of Colour, was released on Real World, with the first single from the album, 'Just Let Go' featuring Bat For Lashes' Natasha Khan on vocals. Described as "effervescent, divinely beautiful" by Clash magazine and "staggeringly beautiful" by Mary Anne Hobbs on BBC 6Music, the album beautifully unites powerful rhythmic strings, shimmering electronics, and elements of drum and bass.

John has scored several shows including Guidizio Universale in Rome, Nouveau Cirque's Alice! In Wonderland, which toured throughout Europe, and Time To Pause, a documentary created from the interview footage and portraits captured during the pandemic by photographer Alison Morrison. He has also worked with Billions Director of Photography Jake Polonsky to create a series of short films highlighting mental health issues such as bipolar disorder.

John's most recent studio album Absence was released in September 2018 on Berlin's Neue Meister label, and was remixed by the likes of Henrik Schwarz and Sebastian Mullaert. For the live show, Metcalfe assembled an incredible line-up of musicians from the worlds of post-classical, electronica and pop: the dazzling and intricate grooves of Richard Spaven, (Goldie, Jordan Rakei) deeply felt groove and lyricism from Red Snapper's bassist Ali Friend and the exquisite voice of Rosie Doonan (Peter Gabriel, Birdy). John is currently crafting his next album with Real World, which is due to be released in 2023. Learn more at www.john-metcalfe.co.uk.

Carols Without Words Tracklist

1. John Metcalfe - Carol of the Bells [02:55]
2. John Metcalfe - Christmas Concerto [04:10]
3. John Metcalfe - Coventry Carol [05:17]
4. John Metcalfe - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen [04:09]
5. John Metcalfe - Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming [06:16]
6. John Metcalfe - Silent Night [05:04]
7. John Metcalfe - In the Bleak Midwinter [04:55]
8. John Metcalfe - O Come, O Come, Emmanuel [04:28]
9. John Metcalfe - It Came Upon A Midnight Clear [04:11]
10. John Metcalfe - Gaudete [02:44]

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