Inger Hannisdal Ensemble - Norway

A seamless musical journey between north and south, east and west.

In recent centuries, so-called "tempered intonation" has been the norm in European music. In a way, we have missed out on a whole world of tones - namely all those found between the twelve keys in the octave on the piano. Inger Hannisdal and her ensemble delve into this somewhat unfamiliar world of tones to explore expressions, melodies and feelings. With a focus on microtonality and a love of asymmetrical rhythms, they present an original, accomplished and thought-provoking musical language.

Inger Hannisdal began playing the fiddle at the age of 4. She grew up in the eastern suburbs of Oslo, and was exposed to music from other cultures at an early age. After studying Middle Eastern and Mediterranean studies in Paris, she studied Arabic music at the Université Antonine in Lebanon. In Beirut, she was active in the popular group Assa'aleek, which reinterpreted Syrian folk music. With such a background, she has an equally natural relationship with scales from the Arabic maqam as with Norwegian folk tunes. Here lies the very core of her music, all that is shaky and surprising, what lies between and outside established frameworks.

Inger Hannisdal Ensemble released the album North South East West in 2021. It received rave reviews, and Hannisdal received the TONO composer award. The next, Free Folk, received the same reception and was recommended by The Guardian as “Contemporary Album of the Month”.