English commentators were enthusiastic about his contribution to these premieres, as well as his singing in the standard repertory roles, including Rocco in Ludwig van Beethoven's "Fidelio", Méphistophélès in Faust, Ramfis in Verdi's "Aida", Pogner in Wagner's "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg" or Jupiter in Gounod's "Philémon et Baucis". Only his portrayal of "Mefistofele" in the eponymous opera by Arrigo Boïto, essayed in 1895, was received with reservations by the music critics. They felt that Plançon's true home lay in the French and Italian "bel canto" repertory and as a consequence of this, Boïto's snarling demon was less suited to the singer's debonair demeanour than the urbane devil that he portrayed so effectively in Gounod's "Faust".