Ernst Reijseger

Ernst Reijseger (born 13 November 1954) is a Dutch cellist and composer. He specializes in avant-garde jazz, free jazz, improvised music, and contemporary classical music and often gives solo concerts. He has worked with Louis Sclavis, Derek Bailey, Han Bennink, Misha Mengelberg, Gerry Hemingway, Yo-Yo Ma, Albert Mangelsdorff, Franco D'Andrea, Joëlle Léandre, Georg Gräwe, Trilok Gurtu, and Mola Sylla, and has done several world music projects working with musicians from Sardinia, Turkey, Iran, Senegal, and Argentina, as well as the Netherlands-based group Boi Akih.

He has made numerous recordings, both as solo cellist and with other groups, and has been the subject of a documentary film. He has also written several film scores, including scores for a number of Werner Herzog films.

Film scores 2000 - Ajax: Hark the Herald Angel Sings 2004 - The White Diamond 2005 - The Wild Blue Yonder 2008 - The Unforbidden City 2009 - My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done? 2010 - It's Already Summer 2010 - Cave of Forgotten Dreams 2013 - Mongools goud – Mongolian gold 2014 - Voor Emilia 2015 - Prejudice 2016 - Salt and Fire 2019 - Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin 2019 - Family Romance, LLC 2020 - Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds 2022 - Theater of Thought 2025 - Ghost Elephants TBA - Bucking Fastard

Quotes on... "He is a magnificent cellist, and he can do anything, anything on his cello. He could play the civil war, the American Civil War on his cello." —Werner Herzog

Solo and group work Reijseger's most well known solo album is Colla Parte, which he recorded in a room of a small villa in which he was staying on a trip to Sardinia. This would be the same trip that he would meet the Voches De Sardinia, with whom he recorded Colla Voche.

He has done several recordings with Mola Sylla, including Requiem for a Dying Planet and Janna.

Reijseger is a member of the Amsterdam String Trio, with Ernst Glerum and Maurice Horsthuis, and another trio, simply called Graewe, Reijseger, Hemingway, with Georg Graewe and Gerry Hemingway.

He was also a member of the ICP Orchestra (or Instant Composers Pool) for many years, as well as the Clusone Trio with Michael Moore and Han Bennink.

Discography Mistakes (Broken, 1979) with Sean Bergin Taiming (Hummeloord, 1981) Cellotape & Scotchtape (Data, 1982) with Alan "Gunga" Purves Dutch Masters (Soul Note, 1987) with Misha Mengelberg, Steve Lacy, George Lewis & Han Bennink Ta (Nimbus, 1987) with Alan "Gunga" Purves Sonic Fiction (Hat Art, 1989) with Georg Gräwe and Gerry Hemingway Noci...Strani Frutti (Leo, 1991) with Pino Minafra and Han Bennink Et on ne Parle pas du Temps (FMP, 1995) with Louis Sclavis Colla Parte (Winter & Winter, 1997) Colla Voche (Winter & Winter, 1999) with Tenore and Concordu de Orosei I Love You So Much It Hurts (Winter & Winter, 2002) with Franco D'Andrea Janna (Winter & Winter, 2003) with Mola Sylla and Serigne C.M. Gueye Continuum (Winter & Winter, 2006) with Georg Graewe and Gerry Hemingway Requiem for a Dying Planet (Winter & Winter, 2006) - soundtrack music for Werner Herzog's The White Diamond and The Wild Blue Yonder Do You Still (Winter & Winter, 2007) Tell Me Everything (Winter & Winter, 2009) Zembrocal Musical (Winter & Winter, 2010) with Groove Lélé My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done (Winter & Winter, 2011) Cave of Forgotten Dreams (Winter & Winter, 2011) - soundtrack music for Werner Herzog's Cave of Forgotten Dreams Down Deep (Winter & Winter, 2013) - with Harmen Fraanje and Mola Sylla Feature (Winter & Winter, 2014) Count Till Zen (Winter & Winter, 2015) - with Harmen Fraanje and Mola Sylla The Volcano Symphony (Winter & Winter, 2016) We Were There (Just Listen, 2020) - with Harmen Fraanje and Mola Sylla

With the Amsterdam String Trio Winter Theme (Winter & Winter, 2000) With the Arcado String Trio Green Dolphy Suite (Enja, 1995) with Trio de Clarinettes Live in Europe (Avant, 1996) With the Uri Caine Ensemble The Goldberg Variations (Winter & Winter, 2000) With Michael Moore An hour with... (Hat Hut, 2000) With Samo Salamon Dream Suites Vol. 1 (Samo Records, 2025)