GORDON MUMMA: “MESA”;”PONTPOINT”;”FWYYN.” Lovely Music VR 1092....

GORDON MUMMA: “MESA”;”PONTPOINT”;”FWYYN.” Lovely Music VR 1092. (Direct Metal Mastering). An unlikely instrument for a revival, the bandoneon has at least captured the fancy of Northern California composer Gordon Mumma. Three original compositions for this tango instrument from Argentina appear on Mumma’s newest record. In “Mesa” (1966), for bandoneon and “cybersonic circuitry”(computer generated sounds), long sustained chords are electronically altered into a slowly unfolding, Zen-inspired ambiance. Pauses demarcate the work into sections and careful stereo panning makes the sounds appear to be dancing in front of the listener’s face. “Pontpoint” (1980), for bandoneon, bowed psaltery and computer-generated sounds, sounds almost identical to “Mesa,” although the psaltery adds a slightly rougher quality and the computer work is more up to date. And “Fwyyn” (1979), for two bandoneones, is a collaboration between Mumma and Pauline Oliveros in a Morton Feldman-like study in first-species counterpoint.