PYONGYANG, North Korea — The New York Philharmonic performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" for North Korea's communist elite on Tuesday — a feat of musical diplomacy aimed at improving ties with the isolated nuclear-armed country that considers the U.S. its mortal enemy.

The Philharmonic is the first major American cultural group to perform in the country and the largest delegation from the United States to visit its longtime foe.

The unprecedented concert represents a warming in relations between the nations that remain technically at war and locked in negotiations over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programs.

The Philharmonic began the concert with "Patriotic Song" — North Korea's national anthem — followed by the U.S. anthem. The audience stood during both anthems and held their applause until the conclusion of the second.

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

"My colleagues of the New York Philharmonic and I are very pleased to play in this fine hall," music director Lorin Maazel said in English at one point. He then told the audience to "Please have a good time" in Korean.

North Koreans in attendance — men in suits and women in colorful traditional Korean dresses — fixed their eyes at the stage. Many wore badges with a portrait of Kim Il Sung, father of current leader Kim Jong Il.

Ri Gun, North Korea's deputy nuclear negotiator, was in the audience. Sitting next to him was William Perry, a former U.S. secretary of defense.

When the concert ended, the Philharmonic received a five-minute standing ovation, with many members of the audience cheering, whistling and waving to the beaming orchestra.