 On May 4, 1872 the tenor made his London debut as Gennaro in "Lucrezia Borgia", with Thérèse Tietjens in the title role, Zelia Trebelli as Orsini and Agnesi as Duke Alfonso, under the baton of Michael Costa.He was an immediate success, being hailed by some as the tenor successor to Mario or Antonio Giuglini on what the critic Herman Klein (who attended) called a night of triumphs.It was at Drury Lane that he first sang with lyric soprano Christine Nilsson, to whom he became a celebrated stage partner.