16 February 2015
Newsdesk
Scottish BAFTA-nominated composer and songwriter FRANCIS MACDONALD drums with Teenage Fanclub and has worked with a range of artists (Alex Chilton, Dan Penn, The Pastels, Kevin Ayers, Kate Rusby, Edwyn Collins, Ian McCulloch, BMX Bandits, Belle & Sebastian, Cairn String Quartet and Max Richter amongst others..)
Classic FM : 'Francis Macdonald is making waves in the classical world with his sublime, minimalist classical music'
Made with the help of a grant from Creative Scotland, “Music For String Quartet, Piano & Celeste” is an album of minimalist contemporary music informed by Francis’s work in TV and film soundtracks and influenced by key musical figures such as Philip Glass, Ennio Morricone and Arvo Pärt. He also cites the inspiration of fellow Glasgow-based composer Malcolm Lindsay who, like Francis, did not formally study classical music.
The album was recorded at Mogwai’s Castle Of Doom studio in Glasgow (because Francis liked their piano) and features a quartet drawn from the esteemed Scottish Ensemble, formed in Glasgow in 1969.
It was recorded and mixed by Iain Hutchison (Julie Fowlis, Transatlantic Sessions) and mastered in Milan by Stefano Barzan (Ludovico Einaudi). Francis played piano and a celeste hired from RSNO.
"I wanted to challenge myself when we recorded the album”, says Francis; “like many of my contemporaries I came quite late to classical music and I have no formal training, but I didn’t want to use anarranger or orchestrator. I wanted to be responsible for every note.”
