Condaleeza Rice -Aretha Franklin Perform Duet At Philadelphia Orchestra Concert

It began like almost any other orchestra summer idyll, with Leonard Bernstein’s Candide Overture.

And then, with the middle movement of a Mozart piano concerto, Tuesday night’s Philadelphia Orchestra concert at the Mann Center suddenly took on rare auras of celebrity, politics, and the general idea that history of a sort was in the making.

The source of the extra-musical messaging was the soloist: Condoleezza Rice, former national security advisor, 66th U.S. secretary of state and public face of the Bush 43 administration. She took on the 10-minute “Romance” of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor, K. 466, like the competent amateur she is.

Rice got a nice, mostly polite reception, but after intermission, the star power intensified exponentially with the arrival of Aretha Franklin. Listeners roared, and she gave them what they came for – “Respect,” “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” “Think,” and more. “What a wonderful audience,” she said.

A gala fund-raiser for the Mann’s educational programs and clearly the Fairmount Park venue’s main event of the summer, the concert has no obvious parallels. It was a first, and so far only, commingling for this pop music legend, former member of a presidential cabinet, and major symphony orchestra. Under-cover seating was sold out, and the lawn was thickly settled. Total attendance was near 10,000, a Mann official estimated. Read More