nyp in north korea

Photo: Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

Whether you agree with it or not, the New York Philharmonic will be undertaking one of the most important cultural exchanges between the United States and North Korea in more than 50 years tomorrow when they take the stage at the East Pyongyang Grand Theatre. Among others, eMusic writer John Schaefer will be there on assignment for another publication.

But, for most of us, we’ll simply have to sit back and watch on our local PBS affiliates on Tuesday evening, when they show the concert on “Great Performances.” To get in the mood, I’ve been listening to some of the music that’s due to be played. We’ve got an excellent Telarc recording of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Eugene List playing “An American in Paris,” a number of recordings of Wagner’s “Lohengrin” and a stirring rendition of Dvorak’s “New World Symphony” by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

In reading about the arrival of the orchestra, I also saw that a possible encore is being planned: a Korean folk song called “Arirang.” We’ve got that one too.