Egk‚ a leading figure in German music during the troubled middle years of the previous century‚ is something of a neglected figure today‚ unjustly so on the evidence of this work and others I have heard of his in the opera house. This quasi­cantata caused quite a stir when first given in Munich in 1930‚ under that proselytiser of advanced music‚ Hermann Scherchen. The work was reviled by some‚ praised by others. Its message of peace was out of kilter in a period when the Nazis were gaining credence and only came into its own when revived at this performance in January 1960. Its merits are such that in a better­ordered musical world it would be regularly played. Based on the Indian legend‚ Fearlessness and Goodwill – as the title translates – tells of a poor‚ naive farmer who is falsely accused of stealing‚ then murder‚ and condemned to death. His punishment is to be crushed under the feet of elephants‚ but just as the beasts are about to do their fatal deed‚ they come to a halt and refuse to fulfil their duty. Thus the farmer is saved under what are deemed miraculous circumstances. The piece is influenced a little by the Bach Passions and a great deal by Stravinsky‚ particularly as composer of Oedipus Rex‚ where the choral writing is concerned. While to an extent derivative‚ the music has its own pace and identity and‚ when performed as well as here‚ a good deal of compassion. The tenor part is crucial. He performs the dual role of a kind of evangelist‚ telling the story‚ and also that of the principal character‚ Gamani. Nobody could sing it with more tonal beauty‚ eloquence and technical skill than the legendary Wunderlich‚ who adds to his fine singing a particularly refined feeling for the sense of the text. The Munich Radio Choir‚ though their performance is somewhat confined by the mono recording‚ sings with total conviction. It and its accompanying orchestra play finely under the convincing baton of Kertész‚ who obviously admired the work. The performance marked the première of the composer’s revised version. This is a disc that should please anyone with a curiosity about 20th­century music and/or with an interest in the unhappily attenuated career of Wunderlich.