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| An afternoon with the Raritan Valley Symphonic Band |
Sunday afternoon, to the delight of an appreciative audience, the Raritan Valley Symphonic Band led by conductor Larry Markiewicz executed a flawless performance of holiday music in the auditorium of the Bridgewater-Raritan High School.
This large band ensemble is a volunteer group of music devotees who perform for the love of their craft. Their devotion to music was amply demonstrated on Sunday, as the group delivered one rendition after another with spirited verve and gusto.
Mr. Markiewicz is one of the band directors at the Bridgewater-Raritan High School and has had a distinguished and varied musical career in America, Japan and England. For example, his bio states that he instructed a brass ensemble that played in the closing ceremonies of the Olympics in Atlanta.
The hour-long concert offered the friendly audience a wide range of musical arrangements, but its emphasis was on traditional holiday fare in celebration of Hanukkah and Christmas.
The final piece was a rousing delivery of John Philip Souza’s The Stars and Stripes Forever. It brought back memories of listening to the Boston Pops on TV, performing the same arrangement at the Esplanade on Boston Common. It might as well have been, because the Raritan Valley Symphonic Band’s delivery under Mr. Markiewicz was that good.
C’était merveilleux! (It was marvelous!)
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