Sarastro szerepét először 1925-ben énekelte, később aztán a laikusok számára neve összeforrt az F-dúr áriával. (A köztudottan szabadkőműves utalásokat tartalmazó opera Sarastro figuráját Mozart egy Bécsben élő magyarországi szabadkőművesről, Born Ignácról mintázta. A véletlen műve, hogy maga Székely Mihály is szabadkőműves volt.)
Székely Mihály was born 110 years ago and was for 40 yeas, until his death in 1963 member of the Budapest Opera. Bartók Béla adjusted the role of Bluebeard in Bluebeard's Castle to his voice, at the New York Metropolitan he mostly sang Wagner operas (the link shows a database consisting all his performances in Metropolitan), at the Glyndebourne Festival he mainly starred in pieces from Mozart.
He first debuted in Sarastro's role in 1925, his voice later becoming for many in Hungary generally known through Sarastro's F-major aria recordings on radio. (Sarastro's character in the opera, which as it is widely known contains Masonic elements, was based on Born Ignac, a Mason from Hungary living in Vienna. A coincidence that Székely Mihály himself was also Hungarian Freemason.)