Fresh Air Weekend: Pianist Jeremy Denk; Frank Bruni on vision lost and found

Frank Bruni is a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times and a professor at Duke University.

Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy

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Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy

Frank Bruni is a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times and a professor at Duke University.

Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors and musicians, and often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:

For classical pianist Jeremy Denk, life is like a series of music lessons: The MacArthur “genius” grant winner talks about what he learned from his piano teachers, and his failures, frustrations and pivotal moments as an artist. Denk’s new memoir is Every Good Boy Does Fine.

Amy Schumer branches out (but retains her hell-raising spirit) in ‘Life & Beth’: Schumer stars as a woman on a voyage of self discovery in an enjoyable (if uneven) new Hulu series. Life & Beth is at its best when it harnesses Schumer’s capacity for catching life on the wing.

After a stroke blinded one eye, Frank Bruni focused on the future: The New York Times columnist says the stroke forced him to make a decision: He could focus on what had been lost or on what remained. He chose the latter. Bruni’s new memoir is The Beauty of Dusk.

You can listen to the original interviews and review here:

For classical pianist Jeremy Denk, life is like a series of music lessons

Amy Schumer branches out (but retains her hell-raising spirit) in ‘Life & Beth’

After a stroke blinded one eye, Frank Bruni focused on the future