Ben Salfield

English lutenist Ben Salfield warming up before a concert at the Nordhorn Festival, Germany, in 2015

Benjamin Dieter Salfield (born 1971) is an English guitarist, lutenist, [1] composer, teacher and promoter.

Early life

Ben Salfield was born in Barton-under-Needwood, Staffordshire, UK. His father, a German Jewish refugee, was children's psychiatrist Dr. Derek "Dieter" Salfield (1915-2006).[2]

Salfield's family settled in Cornwall, UK, when he was 9 years old, and he has lived there ever since. He began playing lute at 13 with Ian Thomson at Truro Guitar Studios. When his teacher moved away, he was mainly self-taught. His concert début was in December 1988 at St Ives Parish Church of St Ia, and shortly after he performed for the Lute Society at the Artworkers Guild, Queens Square, London. His first international recital was at the Meschede Abteikonzerte,Cologne, Germany, in 1993, and his first full international tour – in the Czech Republic – took place three years later.

Media recognition

Salfield received his first newspaper review in August 1989, for a performance at Truro Cathedral Chapter House. Headed "Performance of Real Perfection", the review compared him favourably to Julian Bream.[3] Internationally, newspapers referred to him in complimentary terms, especially in Italy,[4] Poland[5] and Sweden;[6] and in the UK, guitarist Nicola Hall described him in glowing terms on BBC radio as "like some modern-day Paganini".[7] Some years later Dutch reviewer David van der Hof reprised her description, calling Ben Salfield "Cornwall's Paganini", and remarking that "it is hard to put into words exactly just how dominating a personality he is".[8] More recently, the world's oldest magazine for fretted instruments, BMG,[9] said about Ben Salfield: "there can be few rivals, if any, to his explosive talent";[10] while Cornwall Today magazine remarked on his "huge international following".[11]

Publications

Ben Salfield's first music publication was one of his own suites, written for the Italian guitarist Andrea Dieci, in 2012. In 2014 He signed with UK publishers Peacock Press. In January 2017 he announced that he was parting company with them in the summer, and had already signed with Bergmann Edition, the Danish publisher.

  • 5-4-10 Five Preludes For Andrea Dieci by Ben Salfield. Instrument: classical guitar. Published: 2012, Modran (Poland).
  • Fugue BWV 1000 by J.S. Bach. Instrument: 10-course renaissance lute. Published: 2014, Peacock Press (UK).
  • Selected Solo Lute Works by S.L. Weiss. Instrument: 10-course renaissance lute. Published: 2014, Peacock Press (UK).
  • A Collection of Renaissance Solos with New Divisions. Instrument: 6-course renaissance lute or guitar. Published: 2014, Peacock Press (UK).
  • John Dowland: Complete Solo Galliards. Instrument: 6-course+ renaissance lute or guitar. Published: 2015, Peacock Press (UK).
  • Suite BWV 997 by J.S. Bach. Instrument: 10-course renaissance lute. Published: 2014, Peacock Press (UK).
  • Prelude Fugue & Allegro BWV 998 by J.S Bach. Instrument: 10-course renaissance lute. Published: 2014, Peacock Press (UK).
  • Concerto in D by A.Vivaldi. Instrument: 6-course lute or guitar. Published: 2015, Peacock Press (UK).
  • English Lute Duets of the Golden Age: The Ultimate Collection (limited edition boxed set). Instrument: 6-course lute or guitar. Published: 2016, Peacock Press (UK).
  • The Lutenist's Handbook. A Practical Rough Guide to Playing the Lute. Published: 2016 Lightning Source/Peacock Press.
  • John Dowland: Complete Solo Fantasias. Instrument: 6-course+ renaissance lute or guitar. Published: 2016, Peacock Press (UK).

Lutenist

Salfield has performed as a soloist, as an accompanist , and in ensemble with Horsemen of the Apocalypse (featuring Jon Salfield on flamenco guitar, percussionist Simon Stanton and bass guitarist Rowan Nightingale) and various (often Polish) string quartets Quartet. In August 2015 he gave four concert performances in the UK with his new duo partnership featuring Italian classical guitarist Andrea Dieci, and that November appeared in a series of concerts with him in Poland. BMG Magazine described the duo as "two of the world's finest musicians in their respective fields"[12] Between 1988 and 2013, Salfield performed only on a 10-course lute made by luthier Philip Brown. After the instrument was rebuilt for a third time, following damage during air transit on his way to perform with Lucile Clitherow in Slovakia,[13] he commissioned luthier Kif Wood to make him "the ultimate instrument" – a 10-course lutar – which featured brand new building techniques and materials.[14] The lutar made its concert début at Ben Salfield's 25th Anniversary Concert at Towednack Church, St Ives in September 2013.[15]

References

  1. ↑ https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/7176690.Truro_lutenist_Ben_over_health_scare/
  2. ↑ Group, British Medical Journal Publishing (4 May 2006). "Derek Julius Salfield". BMJ. 332 (7549): 1098. doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7549.1098-c. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  3. ↑ West Briton newspaper, A.Boughton, August 1989: “Performance of Real Perfection”. “(Ben Salfield)... compares favourably with such master lutenists as Julian Bream”.
  4. ↑ Gazetta di Parma newspaper, Vincenzo Raffaele, May 2003: “(Ben Salfield is)... a dominant figure in the esoteric niche of the lute world, despite his young age. A quintessentially English, eccentric figure, wearing a tuxedo... shiny patent shoes, his long hair centre-parted, and sunglasses like a rock star, from above which he gave ironical glances towards his audience as his hands flew over the wide highway of his instrument's fretboard”.
  5. ↑
  6. ↑ Carsten Groendahl, Director, Malmoe Gittarfestival 2003: “(Ben Salfield is)... the most exciting lutenist of his generation”.
  7. ↑ Nicola Hall interview, BBC Radio Derby, September 1993: "Ben Salfield... is like some modern-day Paganini".
  8. ↑
  9. ↑ "BMG Magazine - BMG Magazine - Clifford Essex Music Company Limited". Cliffordessex.net. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  10. ↑ BMG Magazine, Winter 2013 p117: "On the strength of this latest concert performance, there can be few rivals, if any, to his explosive talent".
  11. ↑ Cornwall Today, August 2015 p148: "Ben Salfield is an extremely busy man with a huge international following".
  12. ↑ BMG Magazine, Winter 2015, review by Si Hunter
  13. ↑ Katarina Wieczorek-Bibkova, Director, Modra International Guitar Festival, June 2012.
  14. ↑ Kif Wood interview, Hellys International Guitar Festival 2017
  15. ↑ www.bensalfield.com
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