Commissioned by the Afiara String Quartet with a grant from the Ontario Arts Council, String Quartet No.3 (The Questioning) was composed during January and July 2013. Initially, the quartet had a different subtitle ("The Thanksgiving"). Hatzis' creative intentions were different too. Being a person of strong religious faith, he wanted this work to be a spiritual thanksgiving for all the wonderful gifts that he have been blessed with in this life, but, during the course of the composition, and influenced by circumstances within his close circle of friends, he felt drawn to explore the psychological conditions which ultimately lead one to atheism.
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.
