Complex sentence: In 1898 he debuted at La Scala, Milan, as Hans Sachs in "Die Meistersinger", which was a surprising choice of role given that his subsequent career did not embrace the operas of Richard Wagner.
Split into simpler sentences: In 1898 he debuted at La Scala, Milan, as Hans Sachs in "Die Meistersinger". This was a surprising choice of role given that his subsequent career did not embrace the operas of Richard Wagner.