About the Author

Of Russian descent, born in Berlin, in 1945, Michael Besack reaches Morocco at a young age. While living in Marrakech from 1950 to 1965, he completes his French high-school curriculum and moves again, this time to the United States, where he attends the University of California, at Berkeley, graduating in 1969 with a degree in Computer Science. During that time his interest in classical music and opera grows. Already involved with various choral groups, he starts studying voice. In 1982, at the conclusion of a master class held in Marin County, he goes on to study with Wagnerian tenor Jess Thomas. Working on the parts of Hunding in Die Walküre and Wotan in Das Rheingold, he tries to come to terms with Wagner's Ring. Franz Schubert's Winterreise similarly captures his attention. Six books see the light of day as a consequence of these pursuits. They are part of a series called Esoteric Journeys through Poetry and Song.