Final word on North Korea?
We Americans can theorize all we like, but there's something most of us don't have -- the ghastly experience of living under a totalitarian regime. James Zhu, who had that experience, posted the following as a comment to my North Korea posts. He fully supports the Philharmonic's visit, and wrote what follows as a response to my fellow blogger Terry Teachout's piece in the Wall Street Journal. Terry opposed the Philharmonic's visit, which of course he has every right to do.
I thought I'd promote James Zhu's thoughts from a comment to a full blog post. I feel humbled before what he says. Thanks, James.
Following is a post in response to Terry Treachout article on WSJ 10/27.
Since part of Treachout article, which strongly against the visit, is a refute to you view, I repost here.
I was a bit unsettled by your article on New YorK Philharmonic visit to North Korea, 10/27/2007, on WSJ. You never lived in such a society("Darkness at Noon", nothing less) and culture, how do you evaluate the impact of classic music to people "not familiar with Western composers"? I was first exposed to Mozart at a time when one of my school teachers was beaten to death on the street like a wild dog. I didn't quite understand what was going on, but through his Serenade I said to myself, "there are got to be a better world". I was timely punished and sent away to a camp for scavenging these Columbia 33 1/2 records and listening to them.
After Philadelphia Philharmonic came to China(the audience was highly controlled and not telecasted), nobody over there thought it was a support to Mao, knowing you wouldn't be raided on anymore if you listen to Duke Ellington, and knowing the more good stuff were coming. I surmise the viewpoints like yours must be more belligerent before Philadelphia Orch. did China. Alas, look at what happened.
Categories:
AJ Blogs
AJBlogCentral | rssculture
Terry Teachout on the arts in New York City
Andrew Taylor on the business of arts & culture
rock culture approximately
Rebuilding Gulf Culture after Katrina
Douglas McLennan's blog
Art from the American Outback
John Rockwell on the arts
Jan Herman - arts, media & culture with 'tude
dance
Apollinaire Scherr talks about dance
Tobi Tobias on dance et al...
media
Jeff Weinstein's Cultural Mixology
Martha Bayles on Film...
music
Greg Sandow performs a book-in-progress
Howard Mandel's freelance Urban Improvisation
Focus on New Orleans. Jazz and Other Sounds
Exploring Orchestras w/ Henry Fogel
Kyle Gann on music after the fact
Doug Ramsey on Jazz and other matters...
Greg Sandow on the future of Classical Music
Norman Lebrecht on Shifting Sound Worlds
publishing
Jerome Weeks on Books
Scott McLemee on books, ideas & trash-culture ephemera
theatre
Elizabeth Zimmer on time-based art forms
visual
Public Art, Public Space
John Perreault's art diary
Lee Rosenbaum's Cultural Commentary
Tyler Green's modern & contemporary art blog

Leave a comment