New York Phil Plays Today In North Korea
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
PYONGYANG, North Korea — The New York Philharmonic yesterday became the most prominent American cultural institution to visit isolated, nuclear-armed North Korea, and orchestra members said they hoped their musical diplomacy could bring the two nations closer together.
A stern-faced border guard checked music director Lorin Maazel’s passport before he descended the steps of the plane to the tarmac, where officials welcomed him and other orchestra members with handshakes and smiles. Later, the musicians were treated to a North Korean dance program and a banquet.
North Korea made unprecedented accommodations for the orchestra, allowing a delegation of nearly 300 people, including musicians, staff, and journalists, to fly into Pyongyang on a chartered plane for the 48-hour visit.
The Philharmonic’s concert today will be broadcast live on North Korea’s state-run TV and radio, unheard of in a country where events are carefully choreographed to bolster the personality cult of leader Kim Jong Il.
The Philharmonic accepted the North’s invitation to play last year, with the encouragement of the American government, at a time of rare optimism in the long-running nuclear standoff involving the countries.
Mr. Maazel said despite the political overtones of the trip, it was the right decision to go.
“I think it would have been a great mistake not to accept their invitation,” he said after arriving at the Pyongyang airport.
“I am a musician and not a politician. Music has always traditionally been an arena, an area where people make contact. It’s neutral, it’s entertainment, it’s person to person,” Mr. Maazel said.
He said if the music moves the audience, “we will have made whatever contribution we can make to bringing our peoples just one tiny step closer.”
The performance will begin with the orchestra playing both the American and North Korean national anthems, and the two countries’ national flags will stand together on stage, the Philharmonic’s president and executive director, Zarin Mehta, said.
PBS-TV’s “Great Performances” will air the concert on Thursday night in most of America. In New York, it will be broadcast tonight at 8 p.m. EST.
