Nat Bartsch – Hope (2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 40:34 minutes | 609 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC)
One can never have too many albums about hope, especially albums as soothing and life affirming as Australian pianist Nat Bartsch‘s new release. While listening, one can feel one’s cares drifting away, to the point that one might ask if Bartsch has known much suffering. The truth is that the earliest tracks were written in response to the Australian bushfires, later pieces were written during the pandemic, and one is dedicated to the memory of a favorite piano teacher. It’s not that Bartsch is unfamiliar with suffering, but that she gazes through the pain to the potential healing on the other side.
The slow, steady rollout began last year with the Searching for the Map EP, represented here by two pieces. The title track was written as the skies were filled with smoke, the name referring to the search for loved ones as well as the future of a nation affected by climate change. The ivory serenade comes across as wistful, the comfortable pauses between notes affording time to appreciate the reverb. The piece ends in suspension, resisting a happy ending. “The End of the Decade,” written on New Year’s Eve, unfolds as a solo piano piece, but adds strings midway. Their entrance is like that of a group of friends appearing at one’s door, bearing gifts. As the anthem rises, one is filled with hope for the new year, although the thought that this new year was 2020 is somewhat sobering.
ARIA Award-Winning composer and pianist Nat Bartsch has triumphed again with her latest album Hope, that was written in response to the unexpected challenges of 2020.
In January, 2020, the fires of what came to be known as The Black Summer ravaged Australia. With the smell of iminent smoke filling her home, Bartsch wrote For the Koalas, a contemplative piece with rhythmic ostinato reminiscent of Philip Glass accompanied by elative melodies similar to the likes of Alan Menken. In contrast to this we have Brightness in the Hills, an acoustic-pop-like tune in which Bartsch’s influences from Sufjan Stevens and Radiohead become apparent. It was not long after the devastating fires that the world was plunged into lockdown. The piece For Now conveys a quiet feeling of optimism, waiting for better days, yet the track leaves you with a sense of ‘bated breath’ as it then flows into Over the River played tenderly by Kyla Matsuura-Miller, Madeline Jevons, William Clark and James Morley.
Hope is somewhat a more meditative expansion on Bartsch’s previous jazz work with the Nat Bartsch Trio. Images of the Australian countryside are conjured whilst listening to this album. The glimpses of light over the orange/green hills contrasted by that slight shiver you feel as a cloud rolls over to cover the sun. This album is a journey through emotions and events that rocked Australia, yet it is composed with such poise and is executed masterfully. Hope is a true and honest reflection of Bartsch’s intent as a composer and performer that can be felt deep within your core. – Jessica Porter-Langson
Tracklist:
1. Nat Bartsch – Prologue
2. Nat Bartsch – For The Koalas
3. Nat Bartsch – The End Of The Decade
4. Nat Bartsch – Fight Not Flight
5. Nat Bartsch – Interlude
6. Nat Bartsch – Brightness In The Hills
7. Nat Bartsch – Searching For The Map
8. Nat Bartsch – Untitled
9. Nat Bartsch – For Now
10. Nat Bartsch – Over The River
11. Nat Bartsch – Emerging
12. Nat Bartsch – Hope
Download:
