Simon Estes, the American bass-baritone, was a young medical student who loved singing but knew nothing about opera until a voice teacher heard him and lent him some opera recordings. He won a full scholarship to the Juilliard School in New York in 1963 and, two years later, began his operatic career. In addition to Ramfis (Aida), Philip II (Don Carlos), Boris (Boris Godunov), John the Baptist (Salome), Méphistophélès (Faust) and Porgy (Porgy and Bess), Estes became renowned for his striking performances in Wagner’s operas. This CD includes a selection of extended extracts from Der fliegende Holländer (Dutchman),Die Walküre (Wotan) and Parsifal (Amfortas). (Newton Classics)