Orchestra plays Star Spangled Banner in North Korea
Tuesday, 26 Feb 2008 14:43
New York Philharmonic Orchestra performs in North Korean capital Pyongyang
The US national anthem has been played publicly in
North Korea for the first time in half a century in what has been dubbed 'orchestra diplomacy'.
Western music and emblems, especially from America, are banned in the reclusive Communist state, which has technically been at war with Washington since the end of the 1950-53 Korean war.
The New York Philharmonic Orchestra performed music written by Antonin Dvorak, Richard Wagner and George Gershwin during a landmark concert in Pyongyang's Grand Theatre.
The US state department-endorsed event has seen a 300-strong group of musicians and journalists decamp to the North Korean capital for three days.
Concert attendees gave a standing ovation to the performers, who also played the traditional Korean folk song Arirang, although North Korea leader Kim Jong-il was conspicuous by his absence.
The performance coincided with US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice's visit to China to discuss North Korea's nuclear programme.
Pyongyang pledged to give up its nuclear activities three years ago but missed a 2007 deadline to declare its progress towards that end.
The 90-minute concert, broadcast live on the international pariah's only television channel, also saw the North Korea anthem played and the two countries' flags displayed side by side.
Pyongyang was named alongside
Iran and Iraq in George Bush's axis of evil prior to the 2003 invasion of the latter.
Conductor Lorin Maazel admitted to reporters the orchestra had been briefed by senior US negotiator on North Korea Christopher Hill.
"We were really caught off guard [by the invitation]," he said.
"When the North Koreans see us live on TV they will see North Americans who are beautiful people ... people who care about the arts, who don't have fangs, who are passionate about their work, speaking a language they can relate to."