(Photograph)
A rousing reception: More than 2,000 North Koreans attended the performance of the New York Philharmonic Tuesday in Pyongyang, North Korea. 'We may have been instrumental in opening a little door,” says Lorin Maazel, the Philharmonic’s music director. “If it does become seen in retrospect as a historical moment, we will all feel very proud to have been part of it.'
David Guttenfelder/AP

North Koreans give New York Philharmonic a standing O

Tuesday's concert was a rousing success. Now, rock guitarist Eric Clapton has been invited to play in Pyongyang.

Cold war foes the United States and North Korea enjoyed a rare moment of harmony Tuesday when the New York Philharmonic played an unprecedented concert in the hermit state.

An audience of North Korea's communist elite gave America's oldest orchestra a standing ovation after a rousing set that took in Dvorak, Gershwin, the US and North Korean national anthems, and a Korean folk song. Some Philharmonic members were so overcome they left the stage in tears.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il did not attend.

But the country's sole television station broadcast the concert live to a population taught to view all things foreign with deep suspicion.

Who's next? The Financial Times says British rock guitarist Eric Clapton has been invited to play.

Related Stories
Get Monitor stories by e-mail:
(Your e-mail address will be protected by csmonitor.com's tough privacy policy.)
(Mary Knox Merrill/Staff)
EDITOR'S PICK Five cities that will rise in the New Economy
From Seattle to Huntsville, Ala., five cities are poised to prosper in the New Economy because of exports, innovation, clean technology, and healthcare.

In Pictures:
Get ready for gridlock
POLITICS Patchwork Nation
The American voter beyond red and blue

Daily podcast

Monitor Reports

Discussions with Monitor reporters from around the world


Today

Peter Grier

The Monitor's Peter Grier talks with reporter Ron Scherer about how Black Friday will effect the economy this year.




Making a difference
Making a Difference

What happens when ordinary people decide to pay it forward? Extraordinary change. See how individuals are making a difference, finding solutions, overcoming adversity, and giving back globally.

Batdorj Gongor convinces residents to set up savings groups as a way of teaching them the power they gain by banding together in neighborhoods.

Lee Lawrence

People making a difference: Batdorj Gongor

In Mongolia, he shows former nomads how working together benefits everyone.