hiː hæd hɪz deɪbjˈuː wɪððə bɜːlˈɪn stˈɑːtsoʊpɚɹ ʌntˈɜː dˈɛn lˈɪndən ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi ˈeɪt, ænd ɐtʃˈiːvd ˌɪntɚnˈæʃənəl ɹˌɛkəɡnˈɪʃən ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti wˈʌn, wˌɛn sˌɜː dʒˈɔːɹɡ sˈoʊlti kˈæst hˌɪm æz sæɹˈæstɹoʊ ɪn ɐ pɹədˈʌkʃən ʌv dˈaɪ zˈɔːbɚflˌɜːt, ɐ ɹˈoʊl hiː sˈæŋ ɐɡˈɛn ðə sˈeɪm jˈɪɹ æt lˌæ skˈeɪlə ɪn mɪlˈæn ˌʌndɚ sˈoʊltiz dᵻɹˈɛkʃən.
He had his debut with the Berlin Staatsoper Unter den Linden in 1988, and achieved international recognition in 1991, when Sir Georg Solti cast him as Sarastro in a production of Die Zauberflöte, a role he sang again the same year at La Scala in Milan under Solti's direction.