PYONGYANG, North Korea - The New York Philharmonic's unprecedented concert could herald warmer ties between North Korea and the West. After three encores, some musicians left the stage in tears as the audience waved fondly.
And more musical diplomacy could be in the works for the isolated communist state: rock guitarist Eric Clapton has been invited to Pyongyang.
Between horn fanfares and the flourishes of a conductor's baton, the U.S. and North Korea found common ground in a concert Tuesday that spanned American and Korean musical traditions.
Former U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry attended the performance and called it a "historic moment," remembering how close the countries came to war in 1994 amid a crisis over the North's nuclear program.
"You cannot demonize people when you're sitting there listening to their music. You don't go to war with people unless you demonize them first," Perry said.
