By Deborah Borda,
President and CEO, Los Angeles Philharmonic
Tonight seat G154 at Walt Disney Concert Hall is empty. That’s where Alan Rich always sat.
Alan passed away last week and where ever he is now you know —he is really ticked off that he’s missing this concert.
An impassioned critic, a passionate advocate for new music, indeed for music.
Alan was one of the first to really “get” what was going on in Los Angeles. He worked tirelessly to convince others that this was, in, fact the new happening arts city. His prescience became truth.
Last Saturday night—he missed the first of many concerts he should have been at. Oswaldo Golijov’s Passion—for which Alan had written the liner notes. On that night his friend Mark Swed placed an origami flower on G154 and we talked about how much we would miss him. In point of fact how American Music will miss him.
Now because Alan would have wanted to have the last word I will read
the entry he wrote for himself in Bakers Biographical Dictionary of Musicians :
“RICH ALAN, American music critic of uncommonly bellicose disposition tempered by prejudice towards favorites.”
So Alan, where ever you are– in thanks and in love the Los Angeles Philharmonic dedicates this program to you. You will be missed.
So I’ve heard.
