Solo
Inger Hannisdal’s musical multilingualism finds free expression in her solo projects, with her personal and distinctive form of freefolk, genre-drifting between avant-garde jazz, contemporary and folk music. Alone on stage with violin, Hardanger fiddle, glasses and a 4-track cassette player, she alternates lyrical melodies with enigmatic soundscapes. Hannisdal’s experimental technique transfer the sound of the violin, at times beyond recognition, with acoustic preparations that create a multitude of new overtones, ghostly harmonics and gong-like percussive sounds. Sometimes it sounds metallic and industrial, other times otherworldly and flute-like. The unaltered strings ring next to the altered ones, a contrast between the clear and the opaque, like watching tones underwater.
Hannisdal has released two solo albums, “Free Folk” from 2023 and “To long, longing, I have longed for so long // Saltwater songs” from 2025, with a third scheduled for 2027. In addition to performing alone, she has also collaborated with various ensembles, including Alpaca Ensemble on “om å forlate” (WP November 2026) and the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra on “Løvsanger” (2024).
“Born out of a period of personal and global grief and unrest, the tracks can be raw and gritty, out of which emerge hints of pearl-like beauty, as on opener «volver volver», or «saltvannssang (saltwater song)», in which a violin’s earthiness draws the listener deep into nature“ - Fiona Talkington, Songlines Magazine
“Jouant et se jouant des cordes, Inger magnifie son instrument avec une épure rare et éclairée, sans recours à des effets, privilégiant une prise naturelle.“ - Eric Therer, JazzMania (on “To long, longing... / Saltwater Songs”)
“Inspirasjon fra folketradisjoner både fra Norge og Mist-Østen er mulig å spore i Hannisdals inderlige uttrykk - et uttrykk det er vakkert å bli ønska velkommen til og synke ned i og bli forført av.“ - Tor Hammerø, Nettavisen
«La violoniste originaire d’Oslo pousse son instrument dans ses recoins les plus intimes, dans ses retranchements les plus fortuits. (…) Un voyage au centre d’un instrument. Ses arcanes, ses conduits, ses jointures. Et c’est assurément un palpitant voyage.»
- Eric Therer, JazzMania.be (on “Free Folk”)
«However remote it may be, the vocabulary of folk music is always present in some faint form, keeping the strange sounds and disjunctive noises in service of succinct musical compositions, instead of just playing with acoustic effects. The ‘double-tone’ effect of prepared strings is particularly effective here, with each thin, high sound shadowed by a softer but more resonant subharmonic.»
- Ben Harper, Boring Like A Drill
“On Free Folk (self-released, 9 June), Norwegian violinist Inger Hannisdal plays solo melodies – often inspired by Nordic folk song – but using an instrument that has been prepared with assorted clips, which create metallic effects, forced harmonics and ghostly percussive textures.”
- John Lewis, The Guardian
“Dette er ei perle av ei soloplate (...) Lydbiletet er nake og gjennomsiktig, og dynamikken er herleg nyansert. Ho brukar ei mengd teknikkar og verkemiddel, men det har alltid ei musikalske grunngjeving. Inger Hannisdal leverer nok ein gong!”
- Lars Mossefinn, DAG OG TID
“Generelt er det noe forfriskende med prosjektet til Hannisdal og den musikalske flerspråklige tilnærmingen hennes. Den oppleves som fylt av nysgjerrighet, selvstendighet og engasjert fordypning som kommer like mye av levde erfaringer, møter og tilstedeværelse, som av institusjoner og etablissementer. Dette gjør kunstnerskapet hennes til noe eget, som forhåpentligvis kommer til å prege scenen i lang tid fremover“
-Maria Lokna, Morgenbladet
“Hannisdal gir seg sjøl, og oss, kraftige utfordringer. I mine ører, og for resten av mitt sanseapparat, er det det som gjør musikk spennende. Når musikere med Hannisdal evner åpner nye dører og nekter å kompromisse, da skjer det noe med musikken og med meg som mottaker.”
- Tor Hammerø, Nettavisen
“(…) Hannisdal shows what she does with great style and care.”
- Vital Weekly
“(…)referencing both the naturalistic, innate melancholia of rural Nordic Folk songs of yore as well as elements of Modern Classical composition, probably especially prevalent in the scraping bowing techniques of “Space” and the whirling, ever spiralling “River II / Turbines”, which - at least in parts - would probably make a great, and contemporary, addition to the score of the next big medieval x fantasy oriented TV drama if one of the producers x writers invlvd in these in the big production studios would actually take the time to skim through the sonic treasures released far off the mainstream path every day.”
- nitestylez.de