I concur with Claudia that this visit was unfortunate, ill-advised, and premature. I did listen to the broadcast tonight (here in NYC USA) and there was one very poignant moment: when a musician from the Philharmonic explained her own tears which fell during the performance. It was not the beauty of the music. It was not the joy of the experience of visiting the Land of Ju-che. She explained that it was because she knew she would soon leave, but that, sadly, her hosts will remain behind in their Stalinist-enforced misery. Yes, music is joy, but under these circumstances it is a very temporary joy indeed.