29.09.2014

Christopher Hogwood Dies at 73

Christopher Hogwood, who pioneered the authentic-instrument movement, died Wednesday in his home in Cambridge, England, after a long illness. He was 73. His death was confirmed by the Academy of Ancient Music, the orchestra he founded in 1973 and with which he had many of his greatest successes, including more than 200 recordings.

During the 1970s and 80s, Hogwood and other British conductors such as John Eliot Gardiner and Trevor Pinnock helped popularize historically informed performance–or HIP. In 1986, Hogwood took over the Handel and Haydn Society in Boston and completed its evolution into an all period-instrument ensemble, serving as music director for 15 years.

In a 2013 interview, the conductor said historically informed playing was just one way of doing things. “There’s nothing wrong with playing things historically completely incorrectly,” he was quoted as saying. “You can play absolutely in a style that suits you and pleases your public. It may be completely unrecognizable to the composer, but so what, he’s dead.”