Listen to a Sample:

Helge Dernesch's most famous assignment was probably participating in the Karajan Ring Cycle.  However, you all remember that Régine Crespin sang the Walküre Brünnhildes.  Well, for all of you who were curious as to how Dernesch would fare in the title role of Walküre, here is your chance.  The results are surprising yet none the less worthy.  She gets off to a great start, negotiating some athletic "Hojotohos" with aplomb.  She does, however, tire slightly in the last act where one would think she would be ready to truly shine given the lower tessitura of the role.  The Sieglinde is the radiant British Soprano Claire Watson.  On the surface her instrument was not the most beautiful, but she is able to convey the frailty of Sieglinde better than any other soprano that I have heard and does not hold back during the ecstatic outburst in the Third Act.  She is joined by Eberhard Katz as Siegmund whose lyric tenor is a good match for Watson.  Jef Vermeersch sings Wotan.  His voice may have been a shade light for Wotan but has an attractive quality to it as well as an ease on top.  The sound is very good.

BONUS:
Helga Dernesch sings Sieglinde's arias from Die Walküre
Tokyo, 1967

OD 10569-3