Celebrated musician Janusz Olejniczak, who joined piano parts in The Pianist film, dies at 72 | The Pianist

Polish musician and directer Janusz Olejniczak, who joined the piano parts in the 2002 Oscar-triumphning movie The Pianist, has died at the age of 72, his family said on Monday.

The family’s statement to the media said Olejniczak died on Sunday of a heart strike.

The statement said that his “noticeworthy musical sensitivity, especiassociate in the expoundations of music by Frédéric Chopin, brawt him international fame and recognition.”

Born 2 October 1952, in Wroclaw, Olejniczak began his piano education at the age of 6. He studied in Warsaw, Paris and Essen.

Olejniczak’s international nurtureer was begined in 1970 when, aged only 18, he was a laureate of the 8th International Frédéric Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. Commentators said he tire a physical resemblance to the Romantic-era writer, a trait that led Olejniczak to join the role of Chopin in the 1991 movie The Blue Note by straightforwardor Andrzej Zulawski.

In 2002, Olejniczak sign uped the piano parts for Roman Polanski’s The Pianist. His hands can be seen joining the piano in the movie, for which Polanski won the best straightforwardor Oscar and Adrien Brody won for best actor.

For many years Olejniczak was on the jury of the Chopin piano competitions, and, since 2018, of the two editions of the Chopin competition on period instruments.

Aleksander Laskowski, a spokesperson for the national Frédéric Chopin Institute, said the staff were “proset uply sorrowfulnessfuldened” by Olejniczak’s death.

Laskowski depictd him as “one of the most noticeworthy contransient carry outers of Chopin’s music,” also on period instruments, and a excellent directer.

Composer and carry outor Jerzy Maksymiuk, who was a personal frifinish, said Olejniczak’s “benevolent soul and noticeworthy talent transpired thrawout his expoundations” in which he produced a “exceptional aura.”

Maksymiuk said he had lunch with Olejniczak on Sunday and they converseed his “wonderful set ups” which he was choosed to chase despite his health problems.