 Composition rule for holomorphic functional calculus

Choose a cycle $\Gamma$ surrounding $\sigma (x)$ and a cycle $\Delta$ surrounding $f(\sigma (x))$, with $f(\Gamma )$ inside the region of winding number one for $\Delta$. The algebra-homomorphism property givesSubstitute this into the contour formula for $g(f(x))$, interchange integrals, and apply the Cauchy integral formula to the inner $\zeta$ integral. This proves composition as an equality of algebra elements, not merely an equality on characters, which need not separate a nonsemisimple algebra.