Another fantastic performance of Dam Mwen Yo, Nathalie’s work for solo cello and recorded sound, by cellist (and commissioner) Amanda Gookin as part of her Forward Music Project, this time in Los Angeles. SF Classical writes, “Joachim’s piece Dam Mwen Yo concentrated on the voices of the Haitian women in her life — her mother, aunts, grandmother — and the cultural and sonic appreciation of the presence of women’s voices in the landscape of Haiti. It was a solemn “thank you.” Against a fabric of vocal samples — sung fragments, close breathing sounds, and speech — Gookin was left to weave a smooth line of melody. The feel of the piece was especially fresh in its large changes in rhythmic structure; brightness and seriousness pervaded.”
