More a ritual than a piece of concert music, Hatzis's Everlasting Light is meant to be performed at appropriate church services. The work is a setting of the Greek Orthodox funeral hymn the Trisagion, which is sung by the three solo voices (countertenor, tenor, baritone), and the first two lines from the Roman Catholic Requiem Mass, which are sung by the choir. In addition to the voices there is a five-octave marimba and four crystal glasses which are played behind the audience.
Born in Greece, educated in the United States and a Canadian citizen since 1985, composer Christos Hatzis (b.1953) is becoming widely known as a leading figure in contemporary classical music. His works are performed and broadcast throughout the world, and their frequent combination of a powerful spiritual foundation with an immediately accessible appeal has made a deep emotional impact upon audiences and performers alike.
