Published by Alry Publications.
This work is dedicated to Jwandune, a young casualty of a bomb dropped from a US drone in Afghanistan. This young girl was leading a typical carefree life playing; then suddenly her face was blown off. Her physical life was saved, but her face was destroyed. Through multiple surgeries, her appearance has been reconstructed. She remains blind. The amazing thing about Jwandune is that she also has recaptured her happy perspective although the trauma lingers, and her fears remain close to the surface.
The Darkness Between Us is divided into two sections. The first, Â lalo lalo lalo, begins with a quote from the Afghan nursery rhyme of the same name. This section represents Jwandune’s easy early life moving into struggle and pain at the moment of attack. As the music tries to recapture the soft nursery rhyme, we find it is changed – now sad, never to be quite the same again. The second part is Jwandune’s Song, which depicts the uplifting strength she has exhibited in her new life.
Commissioned by flutist Karen Johnson.