John Metcalfe is a British composer, arranger and violist, a member of the Duke Quartet and a former member of The Durutti Column. Biography John Metcalfe’s unique style is a result of his extensive experience in classical, pop and electronica. Early musical influences include opera (his father was an operatic tenor), the post-punk group Joy Division, and the avant-garde electronic band Kraftwerk. As a violist he co-founded the Duke Quartet which quickly developed a reputation as one of the UK’...
John Metcalfe is a British composer, arranger and violist, a member of the Duke Quartet and a former member of The Durutti Column.
Biography John Metcalfe’s unique style is a result of his extensive experience in classical, pop and electronica. Early musical influences include opera (his father was an operatic tenor), the post-punk group Joy Division, and the avant-garde electronic band Kraftwerk. As a violist he co-founded the Duke Quartet which quickly developed a reputation as one of the UK’s most exciting ensembles. Metcalfe’s string arrangements played by the Dukes feature on many albums by pop artists including Morrissey, Simple Minds, The Pretenders, Catatonia and Blur. More recent arrangements include Bat For Lashes and an extensive collaboration with Peter Gabriel resulting in two albums, "Scratch My Back" and "New Blood", the latter of which he co-produced with Gabriel. He was Gabriel's music director for all the live shows including appearances at New York's Radio City and the Hollywood Bowl.
Metcalfe joined Vini Reilly in the Durutti Column in the mid-eighties. During this period, he also studied music at the Royal Northern College and the Hochschule in Berlin and 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. The commercial success of Metcalfe’s first two albums of original music has led directly to several new commissions for TV and the concert hall. His most recent, "A Darker Sunset" was released on Big Chill records in 2008. he is currently working on new material for release in 2013.
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