Manchester Interntaional Festival's The Pianist on Radio 4, Saturday 20th Oct

One of the highlights of Manchester International Festival, the adaptation of Wladyslaw Szpilman's war memoirs is to be broadcast  on Radio 4.

If you didn't get the chance to experience Neil Bartlett's production of The Pianist during Manchester International Festival, you missed one of the most moving theatrical experiences of the year.

Audiences were guided to the top floor of an old warehouse in the Museum of Science and Industry, where they sat as Peter Guinness performed readings taken from Spzilman's book The Pianist as Mikhael Rudy played Chopin on a grand piano.

Spzilman was a pianist with Polish Radio until the Nazi army closed the station. As a Jew, Szpilman was forced into the Warsaw ghetto and managed to hide during its subsequent evacuation. During the following years he hid alone in the deserted ghetto, dreaming of his family and his beloved family and always aware that he could be discovered at any moment.

His story was adapted into an Oscaar-winning  film directed by Roman Polanski and starring Adrian Brody before being reimagined by Mikhael Rudy.

Now everyone has the chance to experience the power and beauty of this adaptation. The Pianist will be broadcast as the Saturday play on BBC Radio 4 at 2.30pm.