American Orchestra Performs in North Korea

American Orchestra Performs in North Korea
More than 100 musicians traveled to Pyongyang for historic first performance by an American symphony orchestra. Transcript of radio broadcast:
29 February 2008


This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

The New York Philharmonic orchestra performed in North Korea’s capital, Pyongyang, this week. It was the first performance by an American symphony orchestra in the communist state. More than one hundred performers made the trip to Pyongyang, led by the Philharmonic's musical director, Lorin Maazel. The historic event was broadcast live on television and radio in North Korea. It can also be seen on the Internet.

More than one thousand North Koreans attended the concert Tuesday night. North Korean leader Kim Jong Il did not attend. However, other top North Korean officials did.

The New York City orchestra performed the North Korean national song and America's national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner." The musicians played famous music, including Antonin Dvorak’s "New World Symphony" and George Gershwin’s "An American in Paris." The performance ended with a version of "Arirang," a Korean folk song that is considered an unofficial national anthem in both North and South Korea.

(MUSIC)

North Korea’s government usually bans music that is not approved by officials. As a result, jazz, rock and most Western classical music are not permitted.

The North Korean government has always described the United States as a hostile aggressor. But the American orchestra’s visit was widely described as a form of musical diplomacy. Some Americans hoped the friendly cultural exchange will help improve relations between the United States and North Korea.

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry praised the event as a chance to improve understanding and trust between North Korea and the United States. South Korean experts say much has changed in North Korea since leaders from the North and South met in two thousand. They say expanded contacts have increased the flow of information about the rest of the world into North Korea. Many experts say the country is not as disconnected as it once was. They say events like the Philharmonic performance make important gains in opening North Korea even further.

However, the White House spokeswoman said the performance neither hurt nor helped American diplomatic efforts. She said relations between the two countries will only improve when North Korea provides information about its nuclear programs. It was supposed to provide such information about two months ago to the United States, South Korea, Japan, China and Russia. Those countries have promised aid and improved diplomatic relations if North Korea ends all of its nuclear programs.

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English, written by Brianna Blake. I’m Steve Ember.

----------------------------Google Translate

美国乐团演出北韩
100多名音乐家赴平壤展开历史性第一次执行由美国交响乐团等。全文电台广播：
2008年2月29日

这是在新闻报道中，在美国之音特别英语。

新的纽约爱乐乐团在北韩的首都平壤，在本星期。这是第一次表现了一个美国交响乐团在共产主义国家。超过100表演了这次外访平壤之行中，由管弦乐团的音乐总监， lorin马泽尔。这个历史性的活动是现场直播，在电视和广播电台在朝鲜。它也可以看到在互联网上。

超过一千名北韩出席了音乐会周二晚上。北韩领导人金正日并未出席。不过，其他高级北韩官员没有。

新的纽约市乐团，朝鲜国歌和美国国歌"星条旗永不落" 。音乐家发挥有名的音乐，包括伦奎斯特德伏扎克的"新世界交响曲"和乔治盖希文的"一个美国人在巴黎" 。表演结束同一种版本的"阿里郎" ，一个韩国民歌被认为是一个非官方的国歌，在南北两方。

（音乐）

北韩的政府通常禁止音乐，是不会批准的官员。因此，爵士乐，摇滚乐和大多数西方古典音乐是不能容许的。

朝鲜政府一直形容美国视为敌对侵略者。但美国乐团的访问被广泛形容为一种形式的音乐外交。一些美国人希望友好文化交流，将有助于改善美中关系和朝鲜。

南韩外交部称赞这项活动是一个机会，以增进了解与信任，北韩和美国。韩国专家说，经历了很多的转变，在北韩领导人以来，来自北方和南方举行2000 。他们说，扩大接触，增加了信息的流通对世界其余地区到北韩。许多专家说，国家是不是断开，因为它曾经是。他们说，类似的事件在管弦乐的表现作出的重要成果，在开放的北韩更加缓慢。

不过，白宫女发言人表示，该业绩既不伤害，也没有帮助美国的外交努力。她说，两国关系将不仅提高了，当北韩提供有关其核计划。它本来是要提供这些资料，大约两个月前到美国，南韩，日本，中国和俄罗斯。这些国家已经承诺的援助和改善外交关系，如果朝鲜结束其所有核项目。

这是在新闻报道中，在美国之音特别英语，写brianna布雷克。我史蒂夫Ember公司。