More than 18,000 concert-goers, who paid between $36 and $500 per ticket, heard Tony Bennett swing through Tin Pan Alley standards by the Gershwins, Irving Berlin and Burton Lane. Kathleen Battle sang Leonard Bernstein's ``Somewhere'' and ``L'il David,'' the traditional spiritual. Philadelphia violinist Sarah Chang played the Carmen Fantasy. From the stage and screen came Richard Dreyfuss, Leonard Nimoy, Jerry Orbach and Morley Safer to narrate the event.
The Israel Philharmonic and Philadelphia Orchestra collaborated for the first time in a program that emphasized Jewish composers, such as Felix Mendelssohn and Noam Sheriff, as well as pieces by Giuseppe Verdi, Maurice Ravel, Modest Mussorgsky and Carl Maria von Weber that evoked elements of Israel's long struggle for life.
It was an event that was at once luxurious, with men in black tie and women decked in furs circulating among the celebrities in the club and suite levels, and at the same time it was a people's party.
Among those who came were Sisters John and Peter, nuns who belong to the Order of the Immaculate Heart. Having saved for a long time to buy the least expensive tickets, $36, they both said they were thrilled to be present.
They were reminded, they said, of Pope John Paul II's remarks that Jews are Christians' elder brothers. ``We're happy to be supporting this,'' Sister John said.
Also heading for the stadium seats were Sandi Diamond and Herman Berkowitz. ``It's a really momentous occasion,'' Berkowitz said. ``It's great to see that Israel has lasted 50 years.''
The evening began with national anthems from the two orchestras - seated on opposite ends of a raised stage, emblazoned with the Star of David. Then Nimoy read: ``Proclaim liberty throughout the land'' . . . words from Leviticus that are etched into the Liberty Bell.
