Premiere

Teenage Fanclub Drummer Francis Macdonald Shares Another Selection From Hamilton Mausoleum Suite

Francis Macdonald

Photo CHARLIE FRANCES

True to its title, Francis Macdonald’s Hamilton Mausoleum Suite finds the Teenage Fanclub drummer channeling Alexander the 10th’s longtime resting place. According to a press release, “Francis went to secondary school nearby and remembers a family visit to the building when he was a young boy. On trips south from Glasgow via the M74 the Mausoleum is a familiar landmark. A couple of year ago he got the idea to record in the building, celebrating its unique reverberant qualities. Museum officer Linda Barrett was encouraging so Francis set to work composing and planning. The album was recorded in one day.”

Check out a couple previously leaked pieces below, along with our #selftitledpremiere and some commentary from the Scottish composer….

“The 10th Duke” is a short piece for string quartet, written with the character of Alexander, The 10th Duke of Hamilton, in mind. A man of some self-importance, he ordered the building of the grand family burial vault Hamilton Mausoleum in the 1840s. Musically, I was thinking of something vaguely Hadyn-esque, mixed in with a bit of Basil Fawlty.

Francis Macdonald

Francis Macdonald
Hamilton Mausoleum Suite
(TR7 / Shoeshine Records, January 26th)
1. Sarcophagus (Quartet & Harp)
2. Whispering Walls (Quartet & Harp)
3. 11th November, 2016 (String Quartet)
4. Folia (Solo Harp)
5. Half Past Midnight (Quartet & Harp)
6. Cantata For No Voices (Harp, Cello & Viola)
7. The 10th Duke (String Quartet)
8. Beam (Quartet & Harp)
9. One Foot Then Another (String Quartet)
10. Stone Lions Lullaby (Harp & Violin)
11. The Mausoleum (String Quartet)

Further Reading