Diplomacy of Note

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/27/world/asia/27symphony.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

It is with a great deal of excitement and joy I have been following the story of the NY Philharmonic traveling to and performing in North Korea, certainly an historical event. I wondered how Lorin Maazel decided upon which pieces of music to play, and then wondered what pieces I would have chosen. My favorites certainly include four of the pieces he chose, Dvorak's New World Symphony, Gershwin's An American in Paris, Wagner's Lohengrin, and Bernstein's Overture to Candide. However, although I could understand the first three selections, I couldn't figure the logic behind Wagner. Any ideas out there?

My favorites also include Rachmaninov's Second Symphony and Tschaikovsky's and Brahms's First Symphony; Beethoven's and Tschaikovsky's Fifth Symphony; Bach's Prelude and also with Gounod's addition on Ave Maria; Mozart's Clarinet Concerto (but, of course, Kimberly!) and his Magic Flute; Brahms's First Piano Concerto; and several other composers' piano concertos; and Moussorgsky's Pictures at An Exhibition. But, it would seem that many of them would not be appropriate, as certainly the whole orchestra should be playing, not just a soloist emphasis or opera vocals.

Regardless, we watched and listened closely to the PBS televised performance last night, and it was absolutely awe-inspiring! We appreciated PBS's background to the concert itself, especially the interviews with artistic director Zubin Mehta and conductor Lorin Maazel; Diane Sawyer's interviews with children in a classroom; and the talks with the North Korean people on the streeet. But it was the concert itself which was magnificent! As we watched the faces of those in the audience, we wondered the emotions and thoughts that must be going through the Koreans' minds, hearing such gorgeous music for the first time. Hopefully, those lovely unforgettable melodies will remain with them, and they will want to hear them again. Even more optimistically, perhaps some of them will decide that Americans are not all as evil as they have been led to believe, and maybe communications will begin to open as the curiosity evolves.

There was one thing I wondered about, and maybe one of you has an answer. During the performance, for a short time the camera focused on a non-Korean blondish woman, who appeared to be literally sobbing into a handkerchief. Was she overcome by the beautiful strains of Dvorak? I'd love to know the rest of the story!

In closing, my thoughts to the government of the U.S. would be the same words of encouragement I always give to Kimberly before a major concert: "Let the music play!" How do you feel?