I heard him first in Paris in 1981 a concert performance of the act 3 of Parsifal with the Berlin Philharmonic and Karajan, then as Lohengrin, then the following year in Paris in Lohengrin under Dohnanyi. But it was in Bayreuth that I heard him in many roles: Parsifal in 83, Tristan in 87 and a final Siegmund in 89.
What was unique in his performances was the sheer physicality of his performances best captured in the DVD of the Boulez-Chéreau Ring:
In the Götz Friedrich's production of Parsifal, he really caught the spear. No wires, no funny games, ..., this was thrilling.
