Fredric Rzewski’s The People United Will Never Be Defeated!, written in September-October of 1976, is now an acknowledged masterpiece of the later 20th century: because of its scope, its scale, its expressive power, its compositional virtuosity, and the skill of its piano writing. It was originally made for Ursula Oppens, and over the years it has been regularly performed and recorded, by her and a number of other notable performers, including the composer himself. And now Daan Vandewalle, a specialist in contemporary and experimental music, and a particularly thoughtful and exploratory performer, has engaged with this music and recorded it. The music, in my hearing , beginning in 1978 and continuing to this year, 2017, hasn’t really changed much. When first heard the piece was notably ambitious and distinctive. Though reflecting a range of other musics, it was nevertheless like nothing else. That still remains the case. And the relevance of the iece’s larger political themes have not, unfortunately, changed much either.