Happy birthday Christopher Hogwood!

The English conductor, keyboard-player, author, scholar and editor, Christopher Hogwood celebrates his 70th birthday on Saturday, September 10.

Best known for his work with the Academy of Ancient Music, which he founded in 1973, Hogwood has worked with many of the world's great orchestras and opera companies. One of the major figures in the period-instrument movement, Hogwood's vast discography for Decca's L'Oiseau-Lyre label includes a pioneering cycle of the complete Mozart symphonies (one instalment of which won a Gramophone Award), the Beethoven symphonies, choral works by Handel (including a groundbreaking version of Messiah), Purcell's theatre music and many of the Haydn symphonies. He is also known for his interest in neo-classical repertoire, notably the music of Bohuslav Martinů – he has recorded the complete works for concertante violin for Hyperion, and has edited a number of Martinů scores.

As well as his work with the AAM, Hogwood has also served as artistic director of Boston's Handel and Haydn Society and music director of Minnesota's St Paul Chamber Orchestra. 

To mark this auspicious birthday, Gramophone is delighted to present a tribute to Christopher Hogwood by friends and colleagues. Available to stream, or download from iTunes, the tribute includes contributions from singers Dame Emma Kirkby, Catherine Bott, David Thomas and James Bowman; violinist Catherine Mackintosh; conductor Sir Neville Marriner; the former Decca recording engineer John Dunkerley; former general manager of the AAM, Paul Hughes; Christopher Purvis, chairman of the AAM; the managing director of the Barbican Centre, Sir Nicholas Kenyon and Gramophone's editor in chief James Jolly. 

Stream in the player below, or download from iTunes.