The fate of Ekkehard, a lovesick monk, unfolds against the historical background of the battle against heathenism and the invasion of the Huns, elements that seem tailor-made for grand opera. Abert set the different strands of the libretto in contrasting musical styles, framed by the individual tonal language he had developed in his previous operas. The brilliant timbre of the young tenor Jonas Kaufmann made him ideally suited to the title role in this virtually unknown opera. The production was one of his first recordings, now remastered and re-released.

‘Johann Joseph Abert's orchestral colours are often beautiful, its vocal writing unfailingly mellifluous… Jonas Kaufmann in particular is a lyric/dramatic tenor of rare quality and musicianship. Peter Falk directs sympathetically and the live recording (of a concert performance) is excellent.’ – Gramophone

Cast:
- Ekkehard, a monk: Jonas Kaufmann
- Hadwig, Duchess in Swabia: Nyla van Ingen
- Praxedis, her confidant: Susanne Kelling
- Spazzo, her treasurer: Henryk Böhm
- Duke of Montfort: Jörg Hempel
- Watzmann, abbot: Alfred Reiter
- Rudimann, cellarer: Christian Gerhaher
- Forest woman: Mihoko Fujimura