New Zealand composer and violinist
John Metcalfe
(born 6 August 1964
[1]
) is a British-based
composer
,
arranger
and
violist
, member of the
Duke Quartet
and a former member of the band
The Durutti Column
.
Biography
[
edit
]
Metcalfe was born in
New Zealand
and moved to the United Kingdom as a child.
[1]
Metcalfe studied viola at the
Royal Northern College of Music
and later at the Hochschule in Berlin.
[
clarification needed
]
During this period he joined
Vini Reilly
in The Durutti Column.
[2]
Metcalfe's unique style is a result of his extensive experience in classical, pop and electronica. As violist with the
Duke Quartet
he released many CDs and toured worldwide. Metcalfe's string arrangements played by the Dukes feature on many albums by pop artists including
Morrissey
,
Simple Minds
,
The Pretenders
,
Coldplay
and
Blur
.
Metcalfe was instrumental in the formation of the record label
Factory Classical
, an offshoot of
Tony Wilson
's
Factory Records
. He released an album of his own,
The Inner Line
, to positive reviews. In 2004, another album,
Scorching Bay
, was released, followed by
A Darker Sunset
in 2008.
The Appearance of Colour
was released in April 2013 as part of Bowers and Wilkins Society of Sound subscription series.
[3]
Commissions include a set of pieces for the guitarist
Tom Kerstens
and an album of electronic/acoustic music for 'cellist
Matthew Barley
. His music has also been used by various contemporary dance companies.
He also collaborated with
Peter Gabriel
, writing arrangements for his "song-swap" album,
Scratch My Back
, and for the tour following it.
[4]
For
New Blood
(2011), which he co-produced with Gabriel, he arranged and orchestrated versions of Gabriel's songs. He and Gabriel continued collaborating on Gabriel's album
i/o
, released on 1 December 2023.
In 2015, Metcalfe released a solo album titled
Kites and Echos
on Bowers & Wilkins Society of Sound and
The Appearance of Colour
on
Real World Records
.
[5]
[6]
Discography
[
edit
]
Solo albums
[
edit
]
- The Inner Line
(2004)
- Scorching Bay
(2004)
- A Darker Sunset
(2008)
- The Appearance of Colour
(2013)
- Kites and Echoes
/
The Appearance of Colour
(2015)
- Absence
(2018)
- Tree
(2023)
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
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International
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National
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Artists
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