Melbourne pianist and composer Nat Bartsch is slated to perform her ARIA-nominated album Hope at Ararat Gallery TAMA this weekend, supported by Ballarat's Amber Duo (Sarah Nieuwkerk on violin and Lucy Price on cello).
Hope is Bartsch's fourth solo album, released in 2021 on ABC Classic. Its title is an abbreviation of hopefulness and hopelessness, responding to the Black Summer bushfires and Melbourne's long COVID lockdowns.
It is an immersive and cathartic listening experience for piano, string quartet and ambient electronics, and was nominated in the Best Classical Album category at the 2021 ARIA Awards.
Nat has worked for many years in the Melbourne music scene in jazz, classical and children's music. She is known for her ethereal style, using her emotive music to respond to our collective experiences while simultaneously sharing her personal stories behind the music.
Bartsch's music deftly walks across a spectrum from neoclassical to jazz, also dipping into the worlds of chamber music, children's music and post-rock. She incorporates a wide range of influences including Arvo Pärt, Debussy, Nils Frahm, Sigur Ros, Nik Bärtsch, Stuart Greenbaum and Sufjan Stevens.
"When I perform at the piano, it has always been my intention to create meditative music that provides solace, inspires reflection, encourages pause," says Bartsch.
"Since becoming a mother, and living through 2020, this musical aspiration has never been more important. I'm honoured to know that my lullabies, and pieces from Hope, are played in many deeply personal and vulnerable moments by people from all walks of life (literally from birth to death). This is a deeply satisfying and moving outcome for my music."
To book tickets to Nat's performance, visit the dedicated page on the Ararat Town Hall site.
