I found this Marilyn Horne treasure among my old cassettes. Such an alignment of tonal allure and mellifluous expressiveness is rare, and the aria is so atmospheric.
Marilyn Horne - Connais-tu le pays - MIGNON - Met Marathon 1975
"Do you know the country where the orange flowers bloom?
The land of golden fruit and crimson roses,
Where the breeze is fresh and the birds fly in the light,
Where in any season bees are seen foraging,
Where radiant smiles are a blessing from God,
An eternal Spring under a deep blue sky!
Alas! Why can I not follow you to that happy place?
Here the fates have exiled me!
But it is there, that land...that place where I want to live,
to love, and to die!"
~ from MIGNON by Ambroise Thomas