Conductor
During
his entire career Sander van Marion, has been very active as
a conductor, besides organist and cantor-organist/choirmaster of the
Bethel Church in Scheveningen.
During the course of the year, many LP and CD as well as tv-recordings
have been made under his direction.
The repertoire of the choirs has been varied, comprising well-known
as well as lesser known works. Familiar oratorios such as the ‘Schöpfung’ and
the ‘Jahreszeiten’ by Joseph Haydn, the ‘Judas Maccabeus’, ‘Messiah’,
and ‘Saul’ by Georg Friedrich Händel, the Weihnachtsoratorium by
Johann Sebastian Bach, and major works by Mendelssohn, Mozart,
Gounod, Saint Saëns and others all form part of the repertoire.
The performance of the oratorium ‘Samson’ by G.F. Händel was unique, as an opera-element was added through the use of decor, dress and scenery.
Less familiar works performed include the ‘Pastoral Messe’ by Anton Diabelli,
the ‘Matthäus Passion’ by Georg Phillip Telemann, and the ‘Hirtenmesse’ by Jan Jacob Ryba.
The performances of these works were Dutch premieres.
Under his direction, the performances of ‘Dixit Dominus’ by Johann
Christian Bach, and ‘Jauchzet ihr Himmel’ by Georg Phillip Telemann
became world-premieres. The
manuscripts of these works, which Sander van Marion prepared for
performance, were discovered by him in old libraries such as the library of the
Monastery of Einsiedeln in Switzerland and the Music Library in Berlin.
A European premiere that has several times been broadcast on
television was the performance of the American Christmas cantata ‘The
Promise of Christmas’, by Dan Burgess.
From his concert tours in Amerca Sander van Marion also brought back other
cantatas and musicals. These
have usually been performed by his choirs as Dutch or European
premieres, and reflect that he his also interested in works of a modern or
lighter genre.
With his male choirs, Sander van Marion turns to yet another musical genre, by performing selections from musicals, operetta and opera,
from various countries.
These include performances based on the themes ‘Rondom Walt Disney’,
‘Jubilate on Broadway’, ‘In Zuid Amerika sfeer’, ‘From Russia
with Love’ and ‘Een klankrijk Millennium’.
In addition to his concerts in the Netherlands, Sander van Marion regularly
undertook international concert tours with his choirs in Europe, but also in the USA and Canada.
Some of the highlights were concerts in famous cathedrals and concert halls in Salzburg, Prague, Berlin, London, Paris,
Washington, Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa.
Other outstanding experiences were the concerts in the 'Concertgebouw' in
Amsterdam, directing the world’s largest male choir of 2,000 voices,
and the concert by the 'Katwijks Christelijk Mannenkoor Jubilate’ in
Berlin, at the farewell of German Federal President Roman Herzog in
Schloss Bellevue.
So were the performances in French cathedrals by C.O.V. ‘Cantate Deo’ from
Zoetermeer, of the ‘Matthäus Passion’ by Georg Ph. Telemann.
Also worth mentioning are the many concerts with a variety of vocal and instrumental
soloists, in particular the performance by Princess Christina as soloist
at one of the many Christmas concerts by Rijnlands Christelijk
Mannenkoor ‘Vox Humana’, from Leiden.
These are all memorable concerts that makes one realize how beneficial and inspiring it is to make music together.