What the press have to say about Alison Crum
About her performances
Boston Early Music News, USA"Alison Crum...executed music by Forqueray, Marais and Couperin with a gracious ease which contained wonderful vigour and accuracy ... Her art is generous, varied and subtle, and she handled the athletic demands of this exhibitionist music with aplomb."
Christchurch Times, New Zealand"Her performance was remarkable for its full-bodied tone, rhythmic bite and accuracy of fingering... the adagio was effortlessly aired in immaculately tailored and expressively shaped phrases....one was able to appreciate fully the interpretative powers of this talented musician and the polished, plaintive qualities of her sound."
Adelaide Advertiser, Australia"In the firm and sensitive hands of Alison Crum - one of the worldís best players of the gamba - the instrument showed itself to be capable of an extraordinary range of expressiveness, much of it charged with powerful emotion...accomplished with the utmost style and grace."
Atlanta Journal, USA"Alison Crum and Roy Marks were particularly impressive in a virtuosic suite by Marais and an engaging group of divisions by Simpson where they offered affectionate phrasing and superior teamwork."
About her teaching and her book, "Play the Viol"
Musical Times, England"Alison Crum, doyenne of British viol teachers, has a genius of explaining techniques and solving physical problems in terms of the simplest practical logic, without dogmatism or the least penchant for professional mystique."
The Viola da Gamba Society of America News"This book [Play the Viol] is a splendid achievement, reflecting much of what is best in present-day viol playing and teaching. Both students and teachers will appreciate its well-organised approach to pedagogy, its historically informed approach to viol technique, and the wealth of information it contains on other matters 'concerning the Viol, and Musick in general'"
Jordi Savall, Barcelona"This new book on the viol, its technique and possibilities, is exhaustive and informative, methodically arranged, and completed with excellent appendices and figures... a valuable contribution to our knowledge of viol technique"
Wieland Kuijken, Brussels"The book provides the beginner with a complete guide to viol technique and the experienced player with a wealth of information not available elsewhere"