Passionate about Renaissance and Baroque Music and often exploring contemporary repertoire

plenum - groningen

One of the dearest things I did as a conductor was leading the 'project-choir' PLENUM
in the north of Holland.
Two times a year about 40 very skilled amateur singers assembled to do crazy stuff.
Sorry the rest of this page is in Dutch.

Plenum was a project choir consisting of the top tier of amateur singers from the northern provinces
of the Netherlands. Twice a year, the highly experienced ensemble and choral singers performed polyphonic, monumental choral works, rarely, if ever, be performed by regular amateur choirs because of the high demands of both distribution and difficulty.
The repertoire was very broad: from Ockeghem to contemporary and everything in between.
Plenum means 'full', and that was explained in two ways:
firstly full in the sense of as many voices/parts as possible,
but also full in the sense of a large, saturated and enchanting choral sound.
 
For each project, the 30-40 singers came together over a weekend.
In that one weekend, the programme was prepared and performed.
Time and again, the ensemble amazed and delighted a full Martinikerk.

PLENUM program Overview

1-Thomas Tallis Spem in alium  à40
    Josquin des Prez Qui habitat  à24
2- Antonio Lotti Crucifixus à6, à8, à10
    Gregorio Allegri, Miserere à9 
    Samuel Barber; Agnus Dei à8 
3- Gustav Mahler arrangements by Clytus
  Gottwald
4- Orazio Benevoli Missa Tira Corda for 4 choirs 
    VIDEO OF SANCTUS HERE
5- Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy
     works for double choir
6- Leonard Bernstein The Lark   
​     EXCERPTS VIDEO HERE
7- Johann Hermann Schein Cymbalum Sionium
8- Joseph Rheinberger Cantus Missae
     & Abendlied
​     Abendlied video here
9-  Only in Sleep, Nightconcert
    (music by Whitacre, Esenvalds, Gjeilo,
    Lauridson, Badings, JS Bach, Erving Berlin)
     TEASER VIDEO HERE
​10- CELEBRATING 10TH EDITION
      Striggio Ecce beatam lucem à40
     Lechner: Quid Chaos à40
    Tallis Spem in alium à40  
​  11 Robert Schumann Dichterliebe
     arrangement by Peter de Groot
     for PLENUM  à8

history

Plenum was founded in 2014 as a result of a Leiden Choir books workshop I gave in Groningen. One of the sopranos said that just before, she had heard a performance of Josquin des Prez's 24-voice canon Qui habitat, sung by the Netherlands Chamber Choir conducted by Peter Philips. Now her dream was to sing that piece herself one day. I told her that with her network of singers (in Groningen there is a choir on every street corner!) she could achieve that in no time, I was willing to come and lead, but l suggested to do also the 40-voice Spem in alium by Thomas Tallis as well.
40 singers x 40 euros, that covers the costs.
Thus it happened. In three days it was organised and Plenum was a reality. It was a resounding success, the audience interest and response was enormous and so we decided to continue.
Froml then on I came to Groningen twice a year to do 'crazy things' with these select singers. 
The Martinikerk became a permanent 'partner in crime'. 
The aim was to surprise audiences with known and unknown monumental repertoire, the concerts were always with a free admission, to get as many people over the threshold as possible and to amaze with them with mostly unheard sounds. 

                                 HISTORY VIDEO HERE
Picture
1st concert in 2014 Spem in alium, with Plenum around the audience.
Picture
2d concert Lotti Crucifixus settings
Picture
Plenum group 2018: Rheinberger Mass
click on pictures to enlarge
©Peter de Groot