Władysław Szpilman (December 5, 1911 – July 6, 2000) was a Polish pianist, … Read Full Bio ↴Władysław Szpilman (December 5, 1911 – July 6, 2000) was a Polish pianist, composer, and memoirist. He is best known as the protagonist of the Roman Polański film The Pianist, based on Szpilman's autobiographical book recounting how he survived the Holocaust.
Szpilman was born in Sosnowiec, Congress Poland, Russian Empire, to a Jewish family. After early piano lessons with his mother Esthera, he continued his piano studies in the early 1930s at the Warsaw Conservatory under Aleksander Michałowski and at the Academy of Arts (Akademie der Künste) in Berlin under Artur Schnabel and Leonid Kreutzer. He also studied composition with Franz Schreker.
The Nazi-led General Government established ghettos in many Polish cities, including Warsaw, and Szpilman was forced to move to the Warsaw Ghetto with his family. He continued to work as a pianist in restaurants in the ghetto. Szpilman remained in the Warsaw Ghetto until it was abolished after the deportation of most of its inhabitants.
None of his family members survived the war. As set out in his memoir, Szpilman found places to hide in Warsaw and survived with the help of his friends from Polish Radio and in part by a German captain, Wilm Hosenfeld.
From 1945 to 1963 Szpilman was director of the Music Department at Polish Radio. During this period he composed several symphonic works and about 500 songs, still popular in Poland today, as well as music for radio plays and film.
In the 1950s he wrote about 40 songs for children, for which he received an award from the Polish Composers Union in 1955.
In 1961 he initiated and organized Sopot International Song Festival in Poland and founded the Polish Union of Authors of Popular Music.
Szpilman also performed as a soloist and with violinists Bronislaw Gimpel, Roman Totenberg, Ida Haendel and Henryk Szeryng. In 1963, Szpilman and Gimpel founded the Warsaw Piano Quintet, with which Szpilman performed worldwide until 1986.
In November 1998 Wladyslaw Szpilman was honoured by the president of Poland with a Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta.
Szpilman died in Warsaw in 2000 at age 88.
Szpilman was born in Sosnowiec, Congress Poland, Russian Empire, to a Jewish family. After early piano lessons with his mother Esthera, he continued his piano studies in the early 1930s at the Warsaw Conservatory under Aleksander Michałowski and at the Academy of Arts (Akademie der Künste) in Berlin under Artur Schnabel and Leonid Kreutzer. He also studied composition with Franz Schreker.
The Nazi-led General Government established ghettos in many Polish cities, including Warsaw, and Szpilman was forced to move to the Warsaw Ghetto with his family. He continued to work as a pianist in restaurants in the ghetto. Szpilman remained in the Warsaw Ghetto until it was abolished after the deportation of most of its inhabitants.
None of his family members survived the war. As set out in his memoir, Szpilman found places to hide in Warsaw and survived with the help of his friends from Polish Radio and in part by a German captain, Wilm Hosenfeld.
From 1945 to 1963 Szpilman was director of the Music Department at Polish Radio. During this period he composed several symphonic works and about 500 songs, still popular in Poland today, as well as music for radio plays and film.
In the 1950s he wrote about 40 songs for children, for which he received an award from the Polish Composers Union in 1955.
In 1961 he initiated and organized Sopot International Song Festival in Poland and founded the Polish Union of Authors of Popular Music.
Szpilman also performed as a soloist and with violinists Bronislaw Gimpel, Roman Totenberg, Ida Haendel and Henryk Szeryng. In 1963, Szpilman and Gimpel founded the Warsaw Piano Quintet, with which Szpilman performed worldwide until 1986.
In November 1998 Wladyslaw Szpilman was honoured by the president of Poland with a Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta.
Szpilman died in Warsaw in 2000 at age 88.
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Debussy Images Set 1
Władysław Szpilman Lyrics
No lyrics text found for this track.
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
Anthony
Debussy never recorded “Clair de lune”. In the cd titled “Debussy plays Debussy”, the composer actually plays 7 of the featured works. “Clair de lune” is played by Suzanne Godenne (the same recording can be found on YouTube under different url addresses ~ with Godenne’s name and not Debussy’s).
Here is a complete list of Debussy’s recordings made on piano rolls:
Children’s Corner Suite
D’un cahier d’esquisses
Estampes: La soirée dans Grenade
La plus que lente
Préludes I: Danseuses de Delphes
La cathédrale engloutie
La Danse de Puck
Préludes I: Minstrels
Le vent dans la plaine.
Anthony
Debussy never recorded “Clair de lune”. In the cd titled “Debussy plays Debussy”, the composer actually plays 7 of the featured works. “Clair de lune” is played by Suzanne Godenne (the same recording can be found on YouTube under different url addresses ~ with Godenne’s name and not Debussy’s).
Here is a complete list of Debussy’s recordings made on piano rolls:
Children’s Corner Suite
D’un cahier d’esquisses
Estampes: La soirée dans Grenade
La plus que lente
Préludes I: Danseuses de Delphes
La cathédrale engloutie
La Danse de Puck
Préludes I: Minstrels
Le vent dans la plaine.
Proper Noun
@WHATEVER GOES FOR ME I find the tempo to be moderate and to my liking quite slow.
I certainly wouldn't see a benefit in speeding it up just for the sake of it.
What makes this rendition feel faster is the syncopation and timing differences he makes.
He makes certain phrases seem as though they collapse into place (which I love)
He makes subtle changes in the timing of arpeggios and chords throughout the piece. He does not play a single phrase in exactly the same way, but the differences he makes in them are deliberate and controlled.
I didn't know Debussy was such a good pianist.
I find this to be a much more nuanced interpretation than any I've heard.
If all of this just kind of washes over you and you can't grasp it then I encourage you to listen to some avant garde jazz or something with odd time signatures and syncopation. Then go back to this rendition of the piece.
Your perception of exotic timing and beat will improve and thus your appreciation for it.
Otherwise you might as well just listen to Bethoven and all the countless classical style musicians who play everything straight. (all of which I also adore)
Walter Sullivan
Congratulations Debussy, you played yourself
Jens Körber
Armes Würstchen.
Anthony
Debussy never recorded “Clair de lune”. In the cd titled “Debussy plays Debussy”, the composer actually plays 7 of the featured works. “Clair de lune” is played by Suzanne Godenne (the same recording can be found on YouTube under different url addresses ~ with Godenne’s name and not Debussy’s).
Here is a complete list of Debussy’s recordings made on piano rolls:
Children’s Corner Suite
D’un cahier d’esquisses
Estampes: La soirée dans Grenade
La plus que lente
Préludes I: Danseuses de Delphes
La cathédrale engloutie
La Danse de Puck
Préludes I: Minstrels
Le vent dans la plaine.
Marcelo Bruno Rodrigues
Someone posted a comment about another recording of a work performed by its composer as "no one except its own composer to perform it according to his/her wishes*.
A KB
🏆🤓😅
Amelia
Debussy’s version: rapidly yet gently falling in love with a fluttering heart
Modern version: reminiscing a relationship that ended with bittersweet memories
Lickmyazz
I always interpreted it as just life going on. There's sad, happy, angry and melancholic moments through the whole piece but it always ends sad yet hopeful.
New Material
@Cm legosthanks for posting that comment
Cm legos
This music helps me look back on life in a positive way rather than negative and sharing this in a YouTube comment section may be pointless but who cares
Lord Ashtray
What?