The Last Five Years

Hard to believe that it’s been half a decade, but five years ago today the Philharmonic made one of its more unprecedented debuts with its first concert in North Korea under then-Music Director Lorin Maazel. Following  the U.S. and DPRK national anthems, the Orchestra played works by Wagner, Dvořák, Gershwin, and Bernstein (the latter three were all originally Philharmonic premieres).

Relive the journey via the photos above (all by Chris Lee) or on The Pyongyang Concert, EuroArts’s DVD available in the Philharmonic shop that includes the entire concert as well as a behind-the-scenes documentary.

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New York Philharmonic at a performance at the East Pyongyang Grand Theatre in North Korea.

Our concert on February 26, 2008, the first-ever performance by an American orchestra in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

We are coming to the end of New York Philharmonic President and Executive Director Zarin Mehta’s remarkable 12-year tenure. Tonight’s concert is dedicated to him and his contributions, ranging from the Orchestra’s historic visit to Pyongyang to educational initiatives such as the Very Young People’s Concerts and Learning Overtures.

Director/designer Doug Fitch (the visionary behind our productions of Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre and The Cunning Little Vixen) captures Zarin’s lighter side in this farewell salute.