[AmericanInTokyo]

One may have to install "Active X" to see the short streaming video from the secluded dictatorship North Korea, featuring the US national anthem. This short clip is actually taken from live North Korean TV tonight, our time, in Asia.

From what I can surmise from the video, only very very connected and senior Communist party member types got into this staged and scripted-yet odd and historic event.

[AmericanInTokyo]

PING.

[Hoosiersailor]

Thanks for the heads up.

[Jet Jaguar]

BTTT and off to see if I can actually listen.

[mkjessup]

I would have preferred to hear the Navy Hymn being played, specifically with these lyrics sung loud and proud:

"Stand Navy out to sea, Fight our Battle Cry!
We'll never change our course, So vicious foe steer shy, aye aye aye...
Roll out the TNT, Anchors Aweigh! Sail on to Victory
And sink their bones to Davy Jones, Hooray!"

Then for the Grand Finale', sink the Pueblo right there in Pyongyang Harbour and tell 'em *UP YOURS*!

Oh wait, Comrade Chia Pet is our pal now.

Never mind Comrade Condi.

[Jet Jaguar]

Oy. No go for me. The page comes up as loading, but it does not.

Bumping for the late nighters here, and the early morns back home.

[nevergore]

They(The NK’s) appeared to follow standard diplomatic protocol...

But I agree, just the Philharmonic being there is groundbreaking for that nation....

[nevergore]

They(The NK’s) appeared to follow standard diplomatic protocol...

But I agree, just the Philharmonic being there is groundbreaking for that nation....

[Allegra]

Dang...can’t get it from this government network. I’ll check it later in my quarters where the internet isn’t nearly as restricted.

[manapua]

Not trying to be snarky, but what exactly are people upset about? That a respectful event followed protocol and norms? Seems proper to me. Far more proper than the supposed anti-communist Madeleine Albright enjoying the hell out of that 'lil Kim parade.

I suspect you're right, though, that the NY Phil wouldn't have accepted an invitation from the Botha gov't, but whatever.

[hellbender]

I’m sure they let hundreds of Christians and other enemies of the people out of their dungeons and death camps so they could have some R&R at this concert. /s

[WSGilcrest]

bookmark. Hope that’s still up when I get home tonight. Maybe someone can capture the stream and save it.

[fungoking]

Which anthem did Barack Obama salute?

[faq]

Philharmonic plays US anthem in N. Korea

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080226/ap_on_re_as/nkorea_ny_philharmonic

[PJ-Comix]

From what I can surmise from the video, only very very connected and senior Communist party member types got into this staged and scripted-yet odd and historic event.

Yeah, I saw it on the tube earlier. Definitely no "lowly" workers in that audience. All big party members.

[tomnbeverly]

OMG no change this .. Hey Obama is this the kind of Change you are selling?

[DaveMSmith]

This cracks me up... under Breaking News, no less!

When our jazz band toured communist Romania in 1974, we played both anthems over 20 times all over their country, as did all the musical groups that toured. As it turned out, Romania had the most vicious regime of the eastern bloc.

[MinuteGal]

I look at this as an end-around the dictator, Little Kim. Asian people are definitely into classical music and are always hungry for it. A lot of music is banned in NK. Here we brought some great music to them and it will bring them hope, perhaps, that someday they will have freedom of choice in music. Kim was not in attendance.

The offerings were the anthems of the two countries and after ours, there was a standing O. The program included The New World Symphony by Dvorak which is a symphonic "picture" of our country.

Gershwin's "American in Paris" was also on the program, a truly great achievement by an American composer.

The theater where the concert was performed holds 2500 seats. The men patrons wore business suits and many women wore traditional Korean attire. There's no evidence that the audience was made up of high communist apparatchiks. There is a middle and upper class in major NK cities as in most countries. When I go to the opera or a concert in this country and look around, I don't see any "day laborers" or "workers of the world" types, either. I see pretty well-heeled-looking folks.

Whether we politicize this concert or not is up to each of us. I look at it as undercutting the dictatorship and bringing a couple nights of musical pleasure to those who hunger for it. Great music by great composers is what it is no matter where it's played.

The orchestra received a prolonged standing ovation at concert end. It was a musically-profound evening for the audience, not an American Tragedy.

Leni

[XR7]

Can anybody say, "Star-Spangled Banner"?

[sweet_diane]

Saw on the news this morning that Eric Clapner (Clapton to everyone but Jocelyn Elders) is next to perform there.

[purpleraine]

The sky is falling!