Ig Henneman (Haarlem, 1945)

Dutch musician-composer and bandleader Ig Henneman performs on viola, and writes compositions for orchestras, ensembles, soloists, including pieces for film and theater. As an improviser, she mainly focuses on the Henneman String Quartet, Duo Baars-Henneman and the Queen Mab Trio.

According to critic Bill Shoemaker “...it becomes plain that the viola is central to Henneman’s compositional sensibility. An instrument that can suggest the depths of a cello and has some of the violin’s loft, the viola has specific utility. In the past, Henneman has ingeniously used this chameleon-like aspect of the instrument in her music for string quartet. This is complemented by the tone of the instrument, which lacks the sweetness of the violin at its high end or the swoon-inducing affect of the cello’s mid and low register. The viola is the perfect cornerstone for Henneman’s penchant for initiating compositions and improvisations with what proves to be a cohering texture. ‘Whirligig’, her solo piece on Stof is a casebook example of how Henneman uses finely calibrated, if seemingly skittering bow technique to build a sturdy piece based on permutated rhythm and color. Henneman also knows how to extract the dramatic implications of initially astringent thematic materials.”

As of 1985, Ig Henneman leads her own groups, showcasing improvisers as well as her own compositions, in hundreds of concerts throughout Europe, North America and Japan.
Some highlights:
• Henneman, Henneman & De Swaan, Henneman String Quartet with harpist Godelieve Schrama (2004), recorded on Strepen - Music and Image in Concert (DVD and CD, Wig 10, 2004) Henneman String Quartet on Italian music (2001), recorded on Piazza Pia (Wig 07, 2002)
• Henneman String Quartet plays Westwerk (1997), a project on medieval music and architecture
• Ig Henneman Tentet plays ‘De nachtegaal tijdens de slaap’ (1995), recorded on Repeat that, repeat (Wig 03, 1995)
• Ig Henneman Tentet plays Emily Dickinson (1993), recorded on Dickinson (Wig 02, 1993)

Self-taught composer Ig Henneman received some years of coaching by Dutch composer Robert Heppener. Since the nineties the music of the Russian composers Galina Ustvolskaya en Sofia Gubaidulina has been an inspiration for Henneman, who is attracted by the extremes of the former’s structural severity and the latter’s improvisational freedom.

As a five year old, Ig Henneman took piano lessons; at eleven she began to play the violin as well. At the conservatory, she initially studied the piano, later she majored on the violin, but ultimately the viola became her instrument. Ig Henneman played in several symphony orchestras before co-founding the legendary rockband FC Gerania, which performed Henneman’s first compositions. One of her early works is the soundtrack to the 1927 silent movie Baby Ryazanskye by Olga Preobrasjenskaja. Nowadays she is renowned for being one of the ‘New Dutch Swing’ improvisers of the Amsterdam scene as well as for being a prolific and much sought-after composer. She performs at venues and festivals in Europe, Japan and North America. Grants and commissions were given her by the Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst, the Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst, the Fonds voor de Amateurkunst en de Podiumkunsten and the Dutch Ministry of Culture.

So far, Ig Henneman has worked with improvisers such as Alberto Braida, Han Buhrs, Martin van Duynhoven, Katrien Ex, Lori Freedman, Mark Helias, Tristan Honsinger, François Houle, Wilbert de Joode, Theo Jörgensmann, Takuji Kawai, Peggy Lee, Marilyn Lerner, Sabina Meyer, Michael Moore, Phil Minton, Ernst Reijseger, Misha Mengelberg, Roswell Rudd, Fabrizio Spera, Roger Turner, Veryan Weston, Wolter Wierbos, dancers Hisako Horikawa and Masako Noguchi and poets H. C. ten Berge and Diane Régimbald.

more details: see cv and composer

CDs
Baars Henneman Mengelberg
Sliptong (Wig 16) 2009

Duo Baars-Henneman
Stof (Wig 13) 2006

Queen Mab Trio
Thin Air (Wig 14) 2006
See Saw (Wig 11) 2005

Henneman String Quartet
Strepen. Music and Image in Concert (CD+DVD) (Wig 10) 2004
Piazza Pia (Wig 07) 2002
Pes (Wig 05) 1999

Ig Henneman Tentet
Indigo (Wig 04) 1998
Repeat that, repeat (Wig 03) 1995
Dickinson (Wig 02) 1993

Ig Henneman Quintet
In Grassetto (Wig 01) 1991

LPs
FC Gerania
Get the Knack (FC2) 1983
FC Gerania (FC1) 1981