Gerry Mattock obituary Sally Beamish
My friend Gerry Mattock, who has died aged 92, was a pioneer of environmental science whose chemical research contributed to the removal of pollution in waterways across the world. However he was even more remarkable in that he dedicated his retirement, and much of his wealth, to commissioning classical contemporary music – a total of 27 works, including 14 composed by me, many of which were performed and recorded by internationally renowned artists.
I had a phone call out of the blue in 1997 from Gerry, who asked me to write a piece for his 70th birthday celebrations. It was to be for cello and piano, and when I asked who the cellist would be, he immediately said “Steven Isserlis”. He told me later it was the first name that came into his head, but it was typical of Gerry that he did secure the great cellist for the premiere, and they later became friends.