Do we know when we’re living through history? In 1893, New Yorkers gathered outside Carnegie Hall to hear the ground-breaking premiere of composer Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, better known as the “New World Symphony.” One of the most hotly anticipated premieres in musical history, it was delivered in the midst of a national debate over what a distinctly “American” classical music should sound like — and it was destined to become one of the most beloved works in Western classical repertoire. Over a century later, the NY Phil performed the same work a world away in Pyongyang, North Korea, once again making history, and revisiting those same questions of what it means to perform American music — and how music, regardless of its origin, can serve as a bridge between peoples.

The NYPhil Story: Made in New York production team includes Lauren Purcell-Joiner, Helena de Groot, Sapir Rosenblatt, Laura Boyman, Elizabeth Nonemaker, Eileen Delahunty, Christine Herskovits, Natalia Ramirez, and Ed Yim. Our engineering team includes: George Wellington and Ed Haber. Production assistance from: Ben James, and Jac Phillimore and Mary Mathis. Special thanks to Monica Parks, Adam Crane, Gabe Smith, and the New York Public Radio Archives. 

A transcript of this episode is available on our website: nyphilstory.com