Two Pastorals: an Heroic and a Comic: Free Audiobook and Listening Guide

Two Pastorals: an Heroic and a Comic, credited to Molière, is available as a LibriVox volunteer audiobook. This guide identifies the recording, its source summary and its audio tracks.

About the work

The LibriVox catalogue summary, preserved with the recording, reads:

LibriVox recording of Two Pastorals: an Heroic and a Comic by Molière. (Translated by Henri van Laun.) Read in English by a full cast. Moliere, on the way to the Ballet of the Muses, a court festival, started to write a new Heroic Pastoral. "He chose for his subject a similar one to the history of Florizel and Perdita in Shakespeare's Winter's Tale…. The charm of his writing, the exquisite delicacy of the sentiment, and the freshness of the pastoral scenes, cause us to regret that Moliere wrote only the first two acts of this play and never finished it." Though it was performed this way in Dec 1666 - so maybe there is enough here to enjoy. The Pastoral Comedy which follows it was performed as part of the Ballet of the Muses in Jan 1667 - "most likely replaced the unfinished Melicerte". We only have a script for a number of the scenes; Moliere supposedly destroyed the rest. - Summary by Translator and ToddHW Cast list: Melicerte, an Heroic Pastoral Myrtil, in love with Melicerte: Adrian Stephens Acanthe, in love with Daphne: Dale Burgess Tyrene, in love with Eroxene: David Purdy Lycarsis, herdsman, supposed father to Myrtil: ToddHW Nicandre, shepherd: Alan Mapstone Mopse, shepherd, supposed uncle to Melicerte: Andrew Gaunce Melicerte, shepherdess: Availle Daphne, shepherdess: Kathi M. Walsheck Eroxene, shepherdess: Sonia Corinne, confidante of Melicerte: WendyKatzHiller Stage Directions: Kelly S. Taylor A Comic Pastoral Lycas, a rich shepherd in love with Iris: Adrian Stephens Philene, a rich shepherd in love with Iris: Dale Burgess Shepherd: David Purdy Magician: Sonia Three Magicians: Devorah Allen Gypsy: Alan Mapstone Stage Directions: ToddHW

Recording facts

• Recording title: Two Pastorals: an Heroic and a Comic
• Author credits: Molière
• Language: English
• Original MP3 tracks: 3
• Listed recording duration: 53:58

Catalogue topics

• play
• shepherds and shepherdesses
• ballet of the muses

Track guide

1. 01 - Heroic Pastoral: Melicerte, Act 1 — 23:02
2. 02 - Heroic Pastoral: Melicerte, Act 2 — 18:52
3. 03 - Comic Pastoral — 12:04

Listen to this recording

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Source and rights

This is a record from LibriVox's official Internet Archive collection, with a public-domain licence recorded in its metadata. LibriVox's policy includes its catalogue summaries as well as its recordings. Its public-domain assessment follows United States law; copyright status can differ elsewhere. The summary and track facts are reproduced and reformatted from that record. Dates attached to the archive upload are not treated as original book publication dates.