Death of French label founder, 75

The death has been reported of Alain Coblence, founder of andante.com, a short-lived classical label and website of the early 2000s, and controversial instigator of the 1990s European Mozart Foundation.

Coblence was private attorney to Yves Saint Laurent’s fabulously wealthy business partner Pierre Bergé. His suppressed personal ambition was to be a conductor. I found him at once obsequious and menacing, an unpleasant combination. But there was no denying his consuming appetite for music.

Coblence riled many musicians in central Europe with his EMF, which was supposed to distribute largesse but seemed chiefly devoted to taking over historical buildings.

Here‘s Allan Kozinn’s 2001 NY Times interview with him. Should be interesting to see if he gets a Times obit.