I just recorded one of my favorite solo arias from one of my favorite choral works: the “Domine Deus, Rex coelestis” from Antonio Vivaldi’s Gloria. At last, I can sing it as a soloist. What do I mean by that?
The first time I encountered this piece was in an independent women’s chorus in NYC. I was newly into Vivaldi and baroque music, and excited to be singing the Gloria. One evening during a rehearsal break, the director of the chorus asked me to sing this aria. I was surprised and honored. I ventured, “I didn’t think I had a solo voice.” She shot back, “You don’t.”
This left me a bit confused. So why are you asking me to sing the solo? I didn’t ask that aloud, and I don’t think I would have gotten an honest reply. In retrospect, I sense that her choice of soloist had more to do with the color of my skin than the content of my character, given that I was the only brown-skinned chorister. But who really knows? In the end, she even had another soprano sing the solo with me. Again, no explanation why, but my guess is that my non-solo voice didn’t carry. So we had a duo-solo (the other soprano was also perplexed about the whole thing, and let me know that she felt weird about being asked to be part of my solo).
After this experience, I resolved to find my “solo voice”. It’s taken decades, but I think I finally have it. Here’s a link to the demo recording: https://aprillynnjames.com/track/4926591/domine-deus-rex-coelestis-8-5-2026 Have a listen, and let me know your thoughts.
Please note that the recording is an unedited demo done in the studio of my accompanist, Joanne Hartley. Apologies that my voice overwhelms my MacBook Pro microphone at times. I hope to record this aria at some point soon live, in a proper concert hall, with a proper sound tech crew. Meanwhile, this will have to do.
Enjoy!