Musicians may be at the forefront in helping thaw diplomatic relations between North Korea and the international community.
On the same day that the New York Philharmonic performed in the communist country, the North Korean embassy in London has confirmed reports that rock legend Eric Clapton has been officially invited to perform in the communist country. The North Korean president's son is apparently a big fan of Clapton's music.
Clapton spokesperson Kristen Foster says the musician has not made any firm commitments.
"Eric Clapton receives numerous offers to play in countries around the world," Foster said. "There is no agreement whatsoever for him to play in North Korea, nor any planned shows there."
News of the Clapton concert came as the U.S. made two very different overtures towards North Korea in an effort to improve diplomatic ties between the two countries -- and to pressure the communist nation to end its nuclear program.
Soft diplomacy
In a touch of "soft diplomacy," famed New York Philharmonic performed for North Korea's communist elite in Pyongyang on Tuesday. The musical group was the largest American presence in the country since the end of the Korean War in 1953.
The Philharmonic began their concert with "Patriotic Song"--North Korea's national anthem--followed by the U.S. anthem. The audience stood for each performance and held their applause until the end of the second. Some performers were so moved by the event, some left the stage in tears after three encores.
While the Philharmonic's performance represents major de-frosting in relations between the longtime foes, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was in China the same day with a more traditional agenda towards North Korea in mind.
Rice met with Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing to discuss how to persuade North Korea into dismantling its weapon's program. The timing of her visit was not a coincidence.
"There's no question that Rice is in this area specifically at the same time of the Philharmonic Orchestra," CTV Asia Bureau chief Steve Chao told Canada AM Tuesday.
"This was a very deliberate decision. She wants North Korea to push ahead and live up to its promise . . . and have full disclosure with disarming its nuclear program."
North Korea failed to meet a 2007 deadline to declare all its nuclear programs under an international aid-for-disarmament deal.
Rice met with the new South Korean President, Lee Myung-bak, on Monday to talk about North Korea's nuclear program. On Wednesday she will be heading to Tokyo with the same agenda in mind.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il did not appear to be in attendance at the Philharmonic's performance at the 2,500-seat East Pyongyang Grand Theater. Rice's stops in Asia did not include North Korea.
However, Ri Gun, North Korea's deputy nuclear negotiator, was in the audience and sitting next to him was William Perry, a former U.S. secretary of defense.
Perry suggested that Washington should invite North Korean performers to the U.S.
"You cannot demonize people when you're sitting there listening to their music. You don't go to war with people unless you demonize them first," Perry said.
Philharmonic musical director Lorin Maazel said that the orchestra has been in similar circumstances before, noting that in 1959 it performed for the U.S.'s Cold War-foes in the Soviet Union.
"The Soviets didn't realize that it was a two-edged sword, because by doing so they allowed people from outside the country to interact with their own people, and to have an influence," he told journalists in Pyongyang. "It was so long-lasting that eventually the people in power found themselves out of power."
When asked if he thought the same could happen in North Korea, he said, "There are no parallels in history; there are similarities."
While there are no definative indications that the concert helped thaw relations between North Korea and the U.S., the performance itself was a success.
When the concert ended, the Philharmonic received a five-minute standing ovation, with many members of the audience cheering, whistling and waving to the beaming orchestra.
Kim Cheol-woong, a North Korean pianist who defected to South Korea in 2002 because of the lack of musical freedom, said last week that regular citizens in the North were prohibited from listening to or playing foreign music produced after 1900. Tuesday's concert was broadcast live into some homes.
The U.S. government supported the Philharmonic's visit, agreed upon last year when efforts to end North Korea's nuclear weapons program were making unprecedented progress.
With files from The Associated Press
