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Track(s) taken from CDA66801/2

Oh happy home! Oh blessed flower!

First line:
I found a lower pining on the heights, and sang
composer
Charles Gounod (1818-1893)
1872; also set to French words as La fleur du foyer
author of text
Edward Maitland (1824-1897)

Anthony Rolfe Johnson (tenor), Graham Johnson (piano)
Recording details: July 1993
St Paul's Church, New Southgate, London, United Kingdom
Produced by Arthur Johnson
Engineered by Keith Warren
Release date: October 1993
Total duration: 4 minutes 34 seconds

Cover artwork: Lord Byron and the maid of Athens. Sir William Allen (1782-1850)
Roy Miles Gallery, 29 Bruton Steet, London W1
 

Reviews

‘Exemplary … enchanting … ravishingly sung’ (The Daily Telegraph)

‘Superb … perfection … best of the year’ (The Sunday Times)

«Uniformement exquis» (Répertoire, France)

«C'est remarquable. Un coffret qui devient un événement» (Compact, France)

'Un stupendo doble compacto' (CD Compact, Spain)
Oh happy home! Oh blessed flower! is perhaps one of the best of the English songs. The text by Edward Maitland (later translated by Charles Ligny when the song was published by Lemoine as La fleur du foyer) is hardly distinguished, but the music, a mixture of recitative and aria, is a happy compromise between French mélodie and English ballad. The piano prelude is the longest in all the Gounod songs and the change from the E minor of loneliness to the E major of family fulfilment is affecting. Gounod later orchestrated this work.

from notes by Graham Johnson © 1993

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