As of 2002, Rzewski's masterpiece, The People United Will Never Be Defeated, had been recorded at least four times, but this release, with the composer himself at the piano, surpasses all others. Rzewski took the Chilean work song "El Pueblo Unido Jamas Sera Vencido!" as his starting point (a very lovely one) and wrote 36 variations webbed together in a complex formula of exposition and reiteration that, in the course of about an hour, traverses an enormous amount of territory and unearths tremendous richness, depth, and beauty. Beginning with a simple, stately reading of the theme, Rzewski unwinds permutation after inspired permutation, ranging from Stockhausen-esque pointillism to 19th century Romanticism to enchanting diversions into popular song forms. Parts of the score call for him to whistle along here and to slam down the keyboard lid there, each action appropriate in its context. The sheer scope of the music is astounding, not to mention the arcane reiterative structure utilized by Rzewski wherein each of the 36 variations is recapitulated every sixth one and each of those recapitulations are themselves integrated into a final summing up. But it's the passion and commitment involved that really sets this work apart. Originally recorded for Vanguard in the late '70s by Ursula Oppens, it's given renewed power by Rzewski's utterly extraordinary piano technique. His attack is so strong, precise, and impassioned that one wonders at both his physical and emotional limits. When the piece closes with the return of the majestic theme, it's as though it had been through a long and wearying war yet is striding home with triumph and pride. Other recordings by fine pianists like Stephen Drury and Marc-Andre Hamelin are quite beautiful and have their own rewards, but none quite scale the heights achieved here by Rzewski. An absolutely masterful performance of one of the premier works of the 20th century.