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September 8, 2008 5:06:10 AM CDT

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Philharmonic Wows North Korea

Posted Feb 26, 08 7:16 AM CST in Arts & Living,  World 

(Newser) – The New York Philharmonic received a huge ovation in Pyongyang tonight after a concert that marked the first thaw in cultural relations between the US and North Korea in 50 years. The performance—which included the countries' national anthems, a Korean folk song, and works by Gershwin, Dvorak, Wagner, and Leonard Bernstein—was broadcast on state media and around the world, reports AFP.

Introducing the Gershwin piece, conductor Lorin Maazel told the audience, "It is called 'An American in Paris.' Someday an American may write a work called 'Americans in Pyongyang.'" The US State Department supported the concert even though Washington and Pyongyang technically remain at war. Maazel said that the concert allows North Koreans to see that Americans "care about the arts" and "don't have fangs."

Sources AFP, New York Times

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North Korean ushers peer into the concert hall before the start of a performance by the New York Philharmonic in Pyongyang, North Korea on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2008. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)   (Associated Press)
Music director Lorin Maazel, right center, bows as North Koreans applaud after the New York Philharmonic's performance in Pyongyang, North Korea on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2008. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)   (Associated Press)
North Koreans look through the performance program before the start of a concert by the New York Philharmonic in Pyongyang, North Korea on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2008. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)   (Associated Press)
The audience stands for the National Anthem of the United States at the start of a concert by the New York Philharmonic in Pyongyang, North Korea on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2008. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)   (Associated Press)
Music director Lorin Maazel directs the New York Philharmonic's performance in Pyongyang, North Korea on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2008. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)   (Associated Press)
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music  • Condoleezza Rice  • North Korea  • Pyongyang  • classical music  • Christopher Hill  • New York Philharmonic  • cultural diplomacy


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