Manning: Let it be cold

The product of an inspired collaboration in 2007 between composer Sasha Johnson Manning and Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, The Manchester Carols is a collection of 12 carols which reshape and modernise the Christmas story.

Its creators wanted to write something that is relevant to and reflects modern society, and which acknowledges the fact that even though someone might not subscribe to the religion behind the Nativity story, they can still appreciate it as an inspiring, magical tale.

The carols are for everyone, believers or not. Far from treading the well-worn path of holly, ivy and mistletoe, Duffy uses the Christmas story as a metaphor for human experience, giving us up-close and personal insights into the central characters of the nativity

As the Poet Laureate says: “I think the story is wonderful. There’s a lot we can take from it on a human level even if we don’t take the divine element.”

“Once heard, the Manchester tunes are hard to shake off. These are definitely carols to sing, not listen to.” The Times