 He began as a low, dark bass, and later moved up to baritone.He continued singing low bass roles occasionally, such as the Grand Inquisitor from "Don Carlos".The cutting quality of his voice and diction lead to him being cast in villainous roles at the Bayreuth Festival, such as Telramund and Klingsor, or in morally ambiguous roles such as Wotan, Gunther or the title role in "Flying Dutchman".