Dennis Hennig

Dennis Hennig (28 February 1951 – 17 January 1993) was an Australian pianist.

At an early stage of his career he was one of the Australian Ballet's rehearsal class pianists, and later performed live music for ballet performances such as Signatures, An Evening, Seven Deadly Sins and Nearly Beloved.^[1] He also taught at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.^[2]

Ross Edwards dedicated his Piano Concerto (1982) to Hennig^[3], who was soloist at the premiere performance in 1983 with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra under Werner Andreas Albert.^[4] He also recorded the work with the QSO under Myer Fredman.^[5]

He played the piano for the music for Jane Campion's first film Two Friends.^[6]

He wrote on the music of Charles-Valentin Alkan.^[7]

Dennis Hennig commenced recording all the piano works of Cyril Scott, but died after completing only 2 CDs. He died of an AIDS-related condition^[8] in early 1993. A medal in his memory is presented at the Sydney International Piano Competition.^[9]

His recordings include:

• Felix Werder: Banker^[10]

• Bohuslav Martinů: Sinfonietta giocosa for piano and orchestra (Australian Chamber Orchestra under Sir Charles Mackerras)^[11]

• Cyril Scott: Two Pieces, Op. 47; Lotus Land; Columbine; Two Pierrot Pieces, Op. 35; Pierrette; Poems; Trois Danses tristes, Op. 74; Over the Prairie (Two Impressions); Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 66^[12]

• Scott: In the Garden of Soul Sympathy^[13]

• Liszt arr. Tausig: symphonic poems Tasso, Hamlet, Les préludes, Orpheus – world premiere recordings^[14]

• Wagner arr. Tausig: excerpts from Tristan und Isolde and Die Walküre; Kaisermarsch^[15]

• "Pianistic Peccadilloes: selected pieces from the repertoire of Miss Arabella Goddard, Eileen Joyce, Percy Grainger, Teresa Carreño and others":
  • Bach: Toccata and Fugue in D minor
  • Thalberg: Air anglais varié
  • Leschetizky: Andante finale from Lucia di Lammermoor
  • Carreño: Little Waltz
  • Moszkowski: Concert Waltz in E
  • Raff: La fileuse
  • Anton Rubinstein: Melody in F, Op. 3, No. 1
  • Rubinstein: Trot de cavalerie
  • Mozart: Serenade from Don Giovanni
  • Grainger: Ramble on the Last love duet in Richard Strauss's opera The Rose Bearer'
  • Dett: In the bottoms
  • Guion: Alley tunes
  • Gershwin: Love walked in
  • Gershwin: The man I love
  • Grunfeld: Soirée de Vienne.^[16]

References

1. ^ QPAC: Grand
2. ^ Macarthur Singers: Kelvin Russell
3. ^ AMC
4. ^ AMC
5. ^ AMC
6. ^ Two Friends
7. ^ William Alexander Eddie, Charles-Valentin Alkan
8. ^ Music Web International
9. ^ SIPCA 2008
10. ^ AMC
11. ^ New York Times, 15 October 1989
12. ^ Cyril Scott: Discography
13. ^ Leslie De’Ath, Cyril Scott as Composer-Pianist and Author, with some Recent Perspectives
14. ^ Liszt: Les préludes, score
15. ^ hb direct
16. ^ Australian Music Centre (AMC)

Persondata
Name	Hennig, Dennis
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	28 February 1951
Place of birth
Date of death	17 January 1993
Place of death