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North Koreans applauded the historic first performance in their capital by a U.S. symphony orchestra. An event some call a watershed¹ in thawing² chilled ties between the two countries.

美国纽约爱乐乐团在北韩首都历史性的首次演出获得北韩人的掌声。这次演出被一些人认为是使美国和北韩两国冷漠关系解冻的分水岭。

Members of the New York Philharmonic brought the North Korean audience to their feet from the first few notes, when they played the communist state's anthem³.

纽约爱乐乐团的乐师们开始演奏北韩国歌的时候，现场的观众起立致敬。

Then, they moved on to what many view as a historic first; the orchestra played the U.S. national anthem, the Star Spangled Banner, as the event was broadcast live to television and radio audiences all over North Korea.

接著乐师们历史性地在北韩首次演奏了美国国歌“星条旗永不落”。这次演出的实况通过北韩国家电视台和广播电台向北韩全国转播。

North Korean government propaganda has always portrayed⁴ the United States as a hostile aggressor. The orchestra's visit is being widely described as a form of music diplomacy⁵, with similarities to ping-pong diplomacy opened by the Nixon administration toward China in the 1970s.

北韩政府的宣传机构总是把美国描绘成具有敌意的侵略者。纽约爱乐乐团访问北韩普遍被认为是音乐外交的一种形式，这同1970年代美国尼克松政府对中国展开的乒乓外交具有相似之处。

After playing Czech composer Antonin Dvorak's "New World Symphony", Philharmonic Conductor Lorin Maazel used humor to introduce a performance of George Gershwin's "An American in Paris."

纽约爱乐乐团音乐总监马泽尔在演奏了捷克作曲家德沃夏克的作品“新世界交响乐”之后，以幽默的口吻介绍美国作曲家格什温的作品“一个美国人在巴黎”。

"Someday a composer may write a work entitled 'Americans in Pyongyang," said Maazel.

马泽尔说：“有一天会有一位作曲家谱写一首曲子，名叫‘美国人在平壤’。”

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il did not attend the performance. Other senior North Korean officials were in the audience.

北韩领导人金正日并没有在现场观看演出。北韩某些高级领导人观看了乐团的演出。

The repertoire⁶ concluded with an arrangement of Arirang - a Korean folk song that doubles as a sort of unofficial national anthem in both North and South Korea.

纽约爱乐乐团演奏的曲目中有一首根据北韩的民俗歌曲“阿里郎”改编的乐曲。北韩和韩国人都把这首乐曲当作非正式的国歌。

Experts point out that much has changed in North Korea since it began dramatically increasing contacts with South Korea, beginning with a summit in 2000. They say the country is not as isolated⁷ as it once was, and events like the Philharmonic performance make vital inroads in opening the North even further.

专家指出，自从2000年北韩和韩国政府举行首脑会议以来，北韩同韩国的接触显著增加，北韩国内也因此发生了很大变化。这些专家指出，北韩已经不再像以往那样孤立，象纽约爱乐乐团的这种访问在促使北韩进一步开放方面的作用很大。

But Brian Myers, a specialist in North Korean official propaganda at South Korea's Dongseo University, says the concert was more about giving Americans an illusion of rapprochement than changing North Korea. He points out that months after the event was confirmed, Pyongyang's official media still called for a "blood reckoning" with the United States.

可是韩国东西大学研究北韩官方宣传机构的专家迈尔斯表示，纽约爱乐乐团在北韩的演出与其说是设法改变北韩，还不如说是给美国人民一个同北韩和解、建立友好关系的幻觉。他表示，就在这场演出获得确认的几个月之后，平壤官方媒体仍然呼吁要向美国讨还血债。

Myers says Kim Jong Il needs anti-American sentiment to shift the blame for the North's extreme poverty, caused by decades of economic mismanagement.

迈尔斯说，金正日需要用反美情绪来转移人民对北韩赤贫的指责，而北韩的赤贫是由于几十年经济管理失当造成的。

"If he surrenders his anti-Americanism he simply puts himself in the position of being somebody who is simply directing the distribution of aid from overseas, and that is not a charismatic position for a leader to be in," explained Myers. "And, it eliminates all reason for North Korea to exist as a separate state."

迈尔斯说： “如果金正日放弃了他的反美口号，他的领导职能就只剩下指导分配海外的援助而已。对一个国家领导人来说，这可不是什么富有魅力的角色，而且这也会使北韩彻底丧失作为一个独立国家而存在的所有理由。”

South Korea's Foreign Ministry⁸ issued a statement praising the concert as a chance to improve mutual⁹ understanding and trust between North Korea and the United States.

韩国外交通商部发表声明赞扬这场音乐会。该声明认为，音乐会为改善北韩和美国之间的互谅互信提供了一个好机会。