Andrzej szpilman

Towards the end of World War II, in a burnt-out villa in the destroyed city of Warsaw, the Polish pianist Władysław Szpilman faced a German officer before an out-of-tune piano.  Szpilman had not bathed in months, and had been living off scraps for more than a year.  Szpilman prepared himself for a blow or a shot. Instead, the officer asked about his profession.  Although the question seemed meaningless given the context, Szpilman replied: 'pianist'.  The German took him to the battered piano and told him to play, no simple task for a starved man who had not touched a piano for three years.  Despite his weakness, Szpilman played Chopin’s Nocturne in C-sharp minor, the same piece that he had played on the radio the day the Germans invaded Warsaw.  After a moment of silence, the officer asked him if he was Jewish, then gave him food and clothing with which to survive the next weeks.  When the officer was about to leave, Szpilman took his hand and said:

I never told you my name; you didn’t ask me, but I want you to remember it.  Who knows wha

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Władysław Szpilman (alias Al Legro), a pianist, classical composer, chamber musician, was born on 5th December, 1911 in Sosnowiec to a family with musical traditions. He studied the piano at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music, under guidance of Aleksander Michałowski and Józef Śmidowicz, and later at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna.

In 1931, having received a scholarship, he went to Berlin and completed studies at the College of Music under guidance of Artur Schnabl (piano) and Franz Schreker (composition).

While performing in Berlin, he proved himself to be an outstanding pianist. It was there that he wrote his first compositions, such as a suite for piano called Życie maszyn [ Life of machines] and a few symphonic works.

When Hitler was elected in 1933, Szpilman left Berlin and came back to Warsaw. He began giving concerts there, often performing with a recognise

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Andrzej Szpilman

Polish composer (born 1956)

Andrzej Szpilman (born March 28, 1956) is a Polish dentist, composer, music producer, publisher, and son of the pianist and composer Władysław Szpilman.

Biography

Szpilman started his music education in 1962 under Prof. S. Kawalla (violin) and later from 1965 until 1974 in the 4th State School of Music in Warsaw (class of Prof. Nasalska violin and later viola).

In 1976, he started to record for Polish Radio as a composer and music producer.

He has worked with Polish singers Irena Santor, Hanna Banaszak, Grażyna Świtała, Bogusław Mec, accompanied by the Warsaw Radio Orchestra and Poznań Radio Orchestra. In 1980-81, as a music director, Szpilman produced several shows for TV-Poland. From 1982-83 he became the producer of the first record by the 1980s Polish group, "Oddział Zamknięty" (Close Department), which sold about 450.000 records in 1983 and received "Gold Record 83" from the Polish Recording Company.

Besides his artistic activities he studied Dentistry at the Warsaw Medical Academy. In 1983 he moved to Ha