Nat Bartsch’s ‘Hope Renewed’ is a jazz/post-rock re-interpretation of her ARIA-nominated neoclassical album, ‘Hope’. The original album is a gentle suite for piano and strings, responding to the struggles of 2020. ‘Hope Renewed’, in contrast, represents a post-pandemic era. The album creates an intricate and immersive patchwork of sound, recorded by Nat’s jazz quartet (Robbie Melville, Tamara Murphy, Maddison Carter) with additional classical musicians and ambient electronics.

‘Hope Renewed’ is both minimalist and maximalist; equal parts epic, playful, vulnerable and kind. ‘Hope’ was composed when we were confined to our homes, and the world felt so small. ‘Hope Renewed’ reflects the new times we are living in - we are together again, and everything feels enormous.

Nat has long existed on a jazz-classical spectrum as an artist. She began as a bandleader for her piano trio in Melbourne’s jazz scene, influenced by the indie rock heroes of her upbringing such as Sigur Ros, Sufjan Stevens and Radiohead. After the release of her solo lullaby album ‘Forever, and No Time At All’ in 2018, she developed a higher profile as a neoclassical pianist, and classical composer for ensembles including Plexus, Grigoryan Brothers and Muses Trio. Nat's lyrical, melodic pianism blends these worlds effortlessly, and she continues to perform her pieces regularly in the Australian jazz scene.

‘Hope Renewed’ is Nat’s eighth studio album, and the second album to be re-recorded. In 2020 Nat received her first ARIA nomination for Best Jazz Album for ‘Forever More’, which reinterpreted her lullaby album with the same jazz quartet.

‘Hope Renewed’ was supported by the PPCA and Australia Council for the Arts through their Artist Recording Grant partnership.

Images: Brett Scapin, Suzie Blake