In a recent daily article on the First Things website, Santiago Ramos writes about the New York Philharmonic’s February trip to Pyongyang, North Korea, and speculates that the performance of great music before the North Korean politicos will be a bit like a real life version of the cinematic encounter between a Stasi investigator and a bit of classical music in the film The Lives of Others .
Mr. Ramos is a great enthusiast of the movie and takes the Wall Street Journal theater critic Terry Teachout somewhat to task for complaining about the possible ethical objections of the Philharmonic ” serenading a tyrant ” like Kim Jong Il. While Teachout believes in the “life changing power of Western art,” he thinks the Philharmonic’s performance will only lend legitimacy to “a despicable regime.” Mr. Ramos recognizes both the nature of the North Korean regime and Mr. Teachout’s points, but he believes that because of the “certainly of beauty” the music performed by the Philharmonic might pierce the darkness of North Korea in a way similar to the way classical music pierced the soul of the Stasi investigator in the movie.
I certainly don’t believe the “certainly of beauty” (if “beauty” is so “certain,” what makes both Picasso and Titian so beautiful?), find the notion that art has a “life changing power” pretty questionable (somehow I missed the scripture “the beginning of wisdom is the fear of Renoir”), and think that the new Disney movie Enchanted is more believable than The Lives of Others —but I do believe in prostitution, and this is what I think both writers are missing.
Argue what we will about aesthetics, I think there are two things we all can agreed on pretty quickly: one: North Korea is as evil a dominion as exists on earth and is particularly brutal to Christians (OK, that requires the acceptance of the category of “evil” which is problematic to some, so perhaps I can substitute “really, really, un-nice” for it), and two: the New York Philharmonic is performing for the North Koreans because they are paying them. The management, conductor, musicians, and stagehands of the Phil aren’t going to Pyongyang for free—and the folks in the State Department aren’t working off the clock here either—they are going because they will return to New York richer than when they left. They are being paid. I have little doubt that every member of the Philharmonic would vociferously condemn the actions of the North Korean regime and would refuse to support them in any way, yet they are taking their money to play for them.
That, to me, looks a lot like same kind of business run by the hooker on the corner. I think the members of Philharmonic, pimped by the State Department, are prostituting themselves and I think this is beneath them. But I have a challenge for the musicians. Go if you must—we legitimately can argue the ethics and the politics—but refuse the fee. Take the time out of your vacation pay. But as the people die in the camps during your concert, don’t soil yourselves by taking the money of their executioners.
