These pieces are quiet, from the heart, classical piano excursions with rich harmonic content. Influences include Ravel, Hindemith and Samuel Barber.The works range from childhood reminiscences to elegies for personal family members.

16 MP3 Songs
CLASSICAL: Contemporary, CLASSICAL: Traditional



Details:
Michael Deák was born in Los Angeles California on October 10th 1942.

His family moved to Pasadena California about ten days later where Michael was to spend a quiet, introspective childhood.

Music came into Michael's life very early.

Michael's father, Imre Eric Deák, born in 1893 near Budapest, Hungary, was a concert pianist and teacher.

He studied with Bela Bartók and Zoltan Kodaly as well as two students of Franz Lizst, Emil Von Sauer, and Stephen Thomán.

Unfortunately, Michael's father died when Michael was only three years old, a tragedy for obvious reasons, but also because Michael was deprived of his father's vast knowledge and experience.

Seventeen years would pass before Michael would awaken to an interest in music.

The year 1960 would prove to be the turning point in Michael's life; he found he had talent as a jazz musician.

He started out as a vibraphonist, playing many club and party gigs.

He studied vibes with Bobby Hutcherson for about a year.

Then about 1962, Michael heard the pianist, Bill Evans, and that was it, he switched his instrument to piano, the instrument he plays to this day.

Michael has for the last thirty years, had an interest in classical composition.

He has won two competitions; he has been published once with another piece now being considered for publication.

He has been recorded twice, has had two world premier performances, even a half hour broadcast on public radio, KUSC FM.

He is trying to fund a work for orchestra, and has some small chamber music pieces under study to compose.

Michael also is composing jazz pieces, but has not as yet produced any recordings of them.

He is currently working with a wonderful singer, Denise Dee, who is about to break through to public prominence.




There is a quiet, introspective, yet complex, powerful quality apparent in the performances of 'ON THE WING'.

The harmonic approach is rich and full of color; the quality of the vocals is pure and full of melodious resonance; and the rhythmic thrust is subtle, but swingin'.
The music on this CD represents years of growth. Tracks 1-8 consist of pieces from "Memories From Childhood"--Michael's first extended work for piano. Tracks 9-12 are from the suite "Three Intimate Elegies And Fugue"--Michael's most recent piano work. Tracks 13-16 are from Michael's "Piano Sonata-- Contrasts". The sonata is a middle period work, and is Michael's longest piece.
It is Michael's wish that you, the listening audience, will find quiet peace in this chaotic world through the music he and Zita Carno have presented on this CD, Thank-you for reading this.