 Schlusnus excelled in the lighter Wagnerian parts, too, and in operatic works by other German composers.Furthermore, Schlusnus earned critical renown as a concert artist and lieder singer despite facing stiff competition on the recital platform (and the operatic stage) from such outstanding rival baritones as Herbert Janssen, Willi Domgraf-Fassbaender, Gerhard Hüsch, Karl Hammes, Rudolf Bockelmann and Karl Schmitt-Walter.As an interpreter of lieder, he often performed with the German pianists Franz Rupp and Sebastian Peschko.