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The Star-Spangled Banner got its first airing in history in central Pyongyang on Tuesday evening when the New York Philharmonic held a landmark concert at the East Pyongyang Grand Theater in the North Korean capital. The 90-minute concert began at 6 p.m.
A U.S. flag hung stage left and a North Korean flag on the right. Under the baton of conductor Lorin Maazel, the U.S. orchestra played North Korea's national anthem to start the concert. All 1,400 spectators remained standing while the two national anthems were performed.
The North Korean audience seemed to relax with the opening bars of George Gershwin's "An American in Paris" following the Prelude to Act III of Richard Wagner's "Lohengrin¡± and Antonin Dvorak's Symphony No. 9, in E Minor "From the New World." The audience laughed and clapped as Maazel joked there might one day be a song entitled "An American in Pyongyang.¡± After the performance, Maazel said the joke helped North Koreans enjoy the concert. The conductor also practiced his Korean with the phrases, "Have a nice time" and "Enjoy the concert."
After the final number, the traditional Korean song "Arirang", the audience of the North¡¯s communist elite and invited foreign dignitaries gave a standing ovation lasting several minutes to shouts of "Bravo!"
Contrary to expectations, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il did not attend the concert. But top officials like Yang Hyong-sop, the vice president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly and the Foreign Ministry¡¯s America chief Li Gun were there.
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Men ride a bus in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang on Tuesday./REUTERS
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However, Washington played down the significance of the concert. White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said, "I think at the end of the day, we consider this concert to be a concert, and it's not a diplomatic, you know, coup." She added the concert is "not necessarily going to change the behavior of a regime that is not being as forthcoming as we need them to be on their nuclear activities."
On Tuesday morning, orchestra members presented CDs of Haydn, Beethoven and Mozart and other musical goods to Pyongyang University of Music. They also held master classes for the students of the school on afternoon. The orchestra will hold a joint rehearsal with the (North) Korea State Symphony Orchestra at the Moranbong Theater on Wednesday morning before flying to Seoul the same day.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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