John Metcalfe’s jaw-dropping achievements as arranger, composer and producer include collaborations with Andrea Bocelli, Blur, Peter Gabriel and U2. Carols Without Words turns the New Zealander’s gilt-edged experience to the advantage of all those who yearn for a classy alternative to the usual choral renditions of seasonal favourites. Fresh life is breathed into 10 time-honoured tunes, exquisitely so with his sumptuous symphonic setting of the old German hymn Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming, meditative arrangement of Silent Night and a sophisticated take on Gaudete. Metcalfe pays homage to the “Adagio” from Corelli’s Christmas Concerto, played straight except for a gloriously souped-up version of its central section, converts O Come, O Come, Emmanuel into a showpiece for strings and creates an instant Christmas classic with his shimmering Carol of the Bells.