Things are popping at the crossroads of culture and politics.

This week the New York Philharmonic, playing under the baton of outgoing Maestro Lorin Maazel, performed a concert in Pyongyang, capital of North Korea.

They played Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 "From the New World" and George Gershwin's "An American in Paris" as well as both countries' national anthems.

The works may be accessible war horses to some, but to me it seems like perfect programming for the occasion.

Maazel spoke to the Associated Press and said: "I think it would have been a great mistake not to accept their invitation. I am a musician and not a politician. Music has always traditionally been an arena, an area where people make contact. It's neutral, it's entertainment, it's person to person."

Maazel also said if the music moves the audience, "we will have made whatever contribution we can make to bringing our peoples just one tiny step closer."

So, what pieces would you have programmed if you were Maazel?

And what do you think of the program he and the NY Philharmonic, the nation's oldest symphony orchestra, performed and for which (as shown in the above Associated Press photo) they received a standing ovation?

Do you think the concert will make any difference in US-North Korea relations?

Closer to home, of course, this past week Cuban dictator Fidel Castro stepped down as president, ceding the post to his younger brother Raul who is allowing the citizenry to voice complaints.

Now you may know or may not know that Madison has for a long time had a sister city in Cuba: Camaguey.

Here's my question:

Should the Madison Symphony Orchestra under John DeMain (who last summer went to conduct and promote music education in Costa Rica) or the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra under Andrew Sewell travel to Cuba as part of a cultural exchange and a possible opening up and democratization of the Caribbean nation?

What about the University of Wisconsin School of Music doing something similar? Should the Pro Arte String Quartet, the Wingra Woodwind Quintet or pianist Christopher Taylor go to Cuba to affirm both democracy and the arts as well as the Badger state?

I say yes, it couldn't hurt and it might help.

Such a move would probably make national and international headlines, and fit into Madison's generally progressive view of the world and promoting peace.

But what do you think about such a cultural exchange?

Let Art Talk know.