Resonate

The world has had its eye on classical music this week. The rarity, caused by the New York Philharmonic’s performance in North Korea,  has intertwined arts coverage with political speculation.

The big question of the week presented in much of the media coverage:  Could a concert affect the tense relations between Washington and Pyongang?

Considering that only North Korean elites attended the concert, and that the North Korean media hid the concert on an inside page of the newspaper, the concert should not be viewed as something that would have a profound effect on a country’s  opinion of America.

Maybe what the world should focus on is the reaction that the orchesta received when it played “Arirang,” a Korean folk song. The audience stood up, cheering and waving to the orchestra — basically, the first time during the concert that the audience seemed to enjoy the performance.

Perhaps embracing other cultures’ music is the way to reach out to them. While we might consider Dvorak’s “New World Symphony” to be a proud representation of America to share with the world — and the New York Philharmonic might play it ardently –  maybe that’s not what other people care about. (Also, maybe America should continue to examine why one of the major pieces embodying an “American sound” was written by a European. Dvorak wanted that piece to be a means to developing the American musical identity, not an end.)