Letters: Batman, Pianist Marc Yu

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MICHELE NORRIS, host:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Michele Norris.

And let us turn for a moment to your comments about our show. My co-host, Robert Siegel, ruffled some feathers among comic book fans in an interview with the director of the new Batman movie, Christopher Nolan.

Ben Watanabe(ph) of Philadelphia asks: Listening to you repeatedly ask Nolan how he avoided making "The Dark Knight" just a comic book movie, I became curious. When was the last time you read a comic book? Mr. Watanabe continues, with every new book I read, movie I watch, and song I hear, I am more and more convinced that comic books are the last bastion of original creative thought in contemporary art. Comic books have become an integral part of the American experience and deserve more respect and thought.

Another of Robert's interviews yesterday struck a completely different cord - his interview with Marc Yu, a brilliant and very young piano player.

Mr. MARC YU (Piano Prodigy): Chopin wrote that piece for the victims of the Polish-Russian war, that's why I played that piece for the Chinese victims in the earthquake tragedy. Yeah.

NORRIS: I know I wasn't the only brought to tears by Robert Siegel's interview with Marc Yu, said Laura Lipperd(ph) of Truckee, California. My husband and I had parked the car for an evening outdoor event while we listen to the end of the story. When this child explained why he chose to play Chopin's "Nocturne in C Minor," we were moved. And when he played the piece with the compassion of a grownup, we cried and cried even after we left the car.

(Soundbite of Chopin's "Nocturne in C Minor")

NORRIS: Well, whether you're moved or annoyed or both by something you hear on our show, we want to hear from you. Go to npr.org and click on the Contact Us tab at the top of the page, and please remember to let us know where you live and - this is important, tell us how to properly pronounce your name.

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