PYONGYANG, North Korea — The New York Philharmonic is giving a historic concert in North Korea, becoming the first major American cultural group to perform in the country and the largest-ever delegation from the U.S. to visit.

Lorin Maazel arriving in Pyongyang

The Philharmonic began the performance with "Patriotic Song" — North Korea’s national anthem — and continued with "The Star-Spangled Banner." The audience gave both renditions standing ovations.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il did not appear to be in attendance at the 2,500-seat East Pyongyang Grand Theater.

Ahead of the performance in the isolated North, music director Lorin Maazel said the orchestra has been a force for change in the past, noting that its 1959 performance in the Soviet Union was part of that country’s opening up to the outside world that eventually resulted in the downfall of the regime.

"The Soviets didn’t realize that it was a two-edged sword, because by doing so they allowed people from outside the country to interact with their own people, and to have an influence," he told journalists in Pyongyang. "It was so long lasting that eventually the people in power found themselves out of power." When asked if he thought the same could happen in North Korea, he said: "There are no parallels in history; there are similarities." While the Soviets were viewed as a threatening superpower, Mr. Maazel said the Korean peninsula has a different role in the world because of its small size.

"To draw a parallel would be to do a disservice to the people who live here and who are trying through their art and through their culture to reach out to other human beings, to make a better world for themselves and for all of us," he said.

Still, he said the concert could be a very small step that would hopefully spark other cultural and social exchanges.

"We are very humble. We are here to make music," he said.

The U.S. and North Korean flags were displayed at opposite ends of the stage.

Following the brief prelude to Act 3 of Richard Wagner’s "Lohengrin," the orchestra was moving on to pieces that highlighted the ensemble’s importance in American music.

That included two pieces that premiered with the Philharmonic: Antonin Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 — popularly known as the "New World Symphony," written while the Czech composer lived in the U.S. and was inspired by native American themes — and George Gershwin’s "An American in Paris."