Closer To My Berkeley Home... In Memorium, Andrew Imbrie (Master of Rarely Performed Late 20th C. Masterpieces Equalling Those Of Herr Stockhausen)

It has been a little over 31 years since I congratulated Professor Imbrie, in the Lobby of the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, after an SFO world premiere performance of his and Oakley Hall's "Angle of Repose" (based upon Wallace Stegner), and I foolishly asked him whether he was planning to attend all six or seven of his premiere performances that fortnight.

I also recall not seeing any of Professor Imbrie's other students from his graduate composition seminar there that night (or perhaps most especially the student who proudly announced after the opening seminar, in September 1976, that the idea of masterpieces made him want to vomit).

Photo credit: (c) San Francisco Chronicle. 1976. (?)

I believe that this photo was taken by a San Francisco Chronicle photographer for a preview article on the world premiere of "Angle of Repose". I remember that during an afternoon graduate composition seminar a photographer showed up (in October 1976, at Morrison Hall, U.C.-Berkeley) and Professor Imbrie posed for a few photos at the classroom piano. He is more likely holding his seminar notes than the libretto to "Angle of Repose", I recall.