The New York Philharmonic last week performed in Pyongyang to much acclaim from its hosts.

In the aftermath, there has been much gushing worldwide on the positives from this overture to peace between North Korea and the United States.

All of this is well and good — and time will tell whether any substantive progress has been made in thawing relations between the two countries. Certaintly, wonders never cease.

In the meantime, word has filtered out that North Korean leaders have invited singer-guitarist Eric Clapton to perform in Pyongyang. Among Clapton’s best-known hits is “Layla,” perhaps the greatest expression of obsessive love in rock music.

North Korean authorities have long shunned rock and pop music, although Kim Jong Chol, the Swiss-educated son of national leader Kim Jong Il, is reportedly a Clapton fan.

Clapton said he has no plans to play in Pyongyang, but we hope he changes his mind.

Seeing and hearing Clapton, widely regarded as one of rock’s greatest guitarists, surely would loosen the shackles of oppression in North Korea. Go, Slowhand, go!