Every day the WildKat team scan the newspapers and blogs online to bring you a digested list of the day’s classical music news.

Gramophone

Happy birthday Christopher Hogwood!

The celebrated conductor, keyboard-player and scholar celebrated his 70th birthday on Friday.

The Telegraph

Proms 2011: why we should love the Last Night of the Proms. 

Ignore the musical snobs, says Harry de Quetteville – the climax of the Proms is a great and glorious cause for celebration.

New York Times Arts Beat Blog

Remembering September 11 With Music

Like a solo Bach line, music wove its way through Sept. 11 remembering on Sunday. Pockets of people formed in halls and churches around New York to hear musicians form the consorts of consolation. By Daniel J. Wakin.

New York Times 

Christopher Small, Cultural Musicologist, Is Dead at 84

Mr. Small contended that music is a ritual involving not only its players but the audience and surroundings as well. He will be sorely missed.

The Guardian

Vittorio Grigolo: ‘Opera is just like boxing or Formula 1. It’s dangerous’

Last year, Vittorio Grigolo gave the Royal Opera one of the most dazzling debuts it has ever seen. The tenor that Italy calls the ‘little Pavarotti’ is no stranger to performing under pressure: his career has taken him from the papal choir to duets with the Pussycat Dolls. Interview with Peter Conrad.

LA Times

L.A. Chamber Orchestra’s Jeffrey Kahane: Wunderkind to maestro

Jeffrey Kahane, the widely respected music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, was able to launch his career as a result of placing high in international piano competitions, like many concert pianists of his generation. In this interview with Chloe Veltman he comments on the impact of the competition scene and what it takes for a budding virtuoso to get noticed.