About Wladyslaw Szpilman

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Wladyslaw Szpilman (1911-2000) was a major star on Polish State Radio in the 1930s. In September 1939, during a live broadcast, he was performing Chopin's "Nocturne in C Sharp Minor" when the studio was bombed. Narrowly escaping deportation and the death camps, he survived with the help of Polish friends and was ultimately spared by a German officer who heard him play the same "Nocturne" in his hiding place.
After the war, Szpilman resumed his career at Polish State Radio, coming back on the air once again with the "Nocturne". Over the following decades he appeared in concert as a soloist as well as with the Warsaw Piano Quintet in Poland, throughout Europe, Asia and in America.
Later, he recounted his experiences in a best-selling book - The Pianst - which formed the basis for Roman Polanski's award-winning film.