金正恩氏、国立交響楽団の創立80周年に祝賀の書簡

Pyongyang, August 8 (KCNA) — Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un sent a letter of congratulations to the creative workers and artistes of the National Symphony Orchestra on Saturday, its 80th founding anniversary. The full text of his letter is as follows: I, in the name of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea and the government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, extend warm congratulations and greetings of encouragement to the creative workers and artistes of the National Symphony Orchestra on greeting its 80th founding anniversary with a sense of honour and pride in having glorified its brilliant history together with our beloved motherland. Quite extraordinary are the remembrances of the history of the meaningful Moranbong Theatre and of the National Symphony Orchestra that have aroused emotions among the people with the solemn and characteristic sounds of the works of mixed orchestra of our own style. Having proclaimed its birth as the first orchestra of a new Korea on August 8, 1946 with the playing of “Song of General Kim Il Sung”, it powerfully demonstrated the ideological will and strong aspiration of all the people to achieve civilization and prosperity with a soaring spirit and mettle for nation building; it has injected renewed vitality and vigour into social progress with model masterpieces of the times. These are etched in the pages of our history. In the days when the country was experiencing harsh trials, the creative workers and artistes of the orchestra willingly followed the arduous road and rendered support to the revolution with the musical instruments as a weapon of struggle. In the decades that seethed with creation and construction, they proudly sang of the worthwhile life of the people who were shaping a rosy future with affection for their socialist country. In this way, they offered great encouragement to the progress of our cause. These feats of theirs are never trifling. From the first days of its founding, it has portrayed the songs of praise of our Party and socialism as orchestral works and symphonic suites and medleys, thus presenting them as monumental masterpieces. Its creative activities constitute patriotic feats that recorded in history by dint of solemn and fresh sounds the victorious course our glorious Republic has traversed. The general title of the works the orchestra has portrayed and put on stage over the past 80 years, sharing the history of our people’s struggle to accomplish the gigantic social transformations under the leadership of the Party, should be called “Symphony of Socialism” on its own terms. In the stirring decade when an era of overall efflorescence of Juche-oriented art was being ushered in, it re-presented such masterpieces as “A Bumper Harvest in the Chongsan Plain”, “The Dear Home in My Native Village”, “The Girl on the Swing” and “Arirang”, pioneering a new realm of symphony of our own style and bringing home to the people the unusual might of music that leads them to share the destiny of their country and promotes its development. Our people still remember vividly these creative activities of the orchestra. It can be said that every work represents the language of faith and conscience and the melody of love and passion, which can be expressed only by the musicians of Korea who regard our Party’s ideas on aesthetics and musical theories as the only ideology and banner for their creation and by true artistes who treasure everything beautiful on this land and are determined to sing of it to the last moment of their lives. Comrades Ho Jae Bok, Kim Pyong Hwa, Choe Ki Hyok and other talented conductors and instrumentalists of the orchestra made a contribution to cultivating the rich flower garden of the Juche-oriented art with unflagging passion. Their images still remain implanted in the eyes of our people, and serve as a model of worthwhile life of the revolutionary men of art and literature who sang of their motherland throughout their lives. Th