[4] He sang at the Bayreuth Festival immediately after its reopening in 1951 after World War II, performing the role of Hans Sachs in Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.
He also sang Ochs in Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier[5][4] at the first performances in the new Salzburg Festspielhaus in 1960.
In 1957, he recorded the role of Wotan opposite Kirsten Flagstad in Georg Solti's recording of Act III of Wagner's Die Walküre (an album made prior to the later famous complete set of Der Ring des Nibelungen).
His powerful, dark voice has proven itself in Wagner roles as well as in tasks from the Buffo subject.
[5] Edelmann sang Ochs in Paul Czinner's classic recording of Der Rosenkavalier conducted by Herbert von Karajan with Elizabeth Schwarzkopf and Christa Ludwig.