Mischka's Tale is the story not only of the adventures of a singer named Mischka and of his life in the land of Thallhiar, but of the power of love, of truth and of music to change the world. The story begins in the rough northern hills, where Mischka's father is a shepherd and his mother a weaver of coarse cloth. But even in these difficult circumstances, Mischka and his siblings are drawn into a love of music, fostered by a wandering harpist who visits their holding, strengthened in the songs they sing together. Music becomes his livelihood and more: it is the center of his life, shared with his wife and children and with a world that is enriched by the music he creates. It is a force of nature and a force in nature, both beautiful and terrible. In this world, music is a power that can wound and that can heal, that can protect and that can destroy. In this world, life is not simple, however beautiful it may be. Love for his wife, Ferenth, for his family and his friends, for the world in which he lives is the well-spring of Mischka's music. But his love for Ferenth drives Mischka to the vale of the wraiths when she dies. Nature is a living force, visible in the terrible storm that shipwrecks Mischka, in the Beisht uses the power of its voice to turn to stone anyone who cannot answer its questions. It is the world of the Lady, creator and sustainer, at once deeply known and forever veiled.. The world of Mischka's Tale is not our own. But it is a world in which we may see our own, including those dimensions of meaning and mystery of which we are not always aware.
About the Author: Robert Griffin (Isaac) has had a varied career as composer, writer, performer, actor, director, teacher and computer scientist. His has composed several hundred musical pieces, ranging from chamber operas, cantatas, musical theater, anthems and instrumental works to solo piano and both popular and art songs. His literary works include plays, novels and poetry. He has acted in musical theater and in plays by Shakespeare, Ibsen and Brecht, as well as performing in and directing his own dramas and musical works, many of the latter as a member of the Batraxoi ensemble that he co-founded with Deborah Prince Smith in 1980. He has performed professionally as vocal soloist and trumpet solois, and sung in choruses in both the United States and Europe, the latter since moving to Switzerland in 2011 with his wife, Lotta Suter. Robert taught writing and literature both during and after completing his doctoral degree at University of Virginia, as well as in both university and professional settings during his 30-year career as a computer science professional at Digital Equipment Corporation, Entrust, BearingPoint and RSA