Showing posts with label Singapore. Show all posts

Broadsheet Rhetoric for a Small Country. Jan 2023

The rhetoric on the broadsheet where I live in Singapore ( which is hardly credible IMHO which is in the process of being nationalized in some shape or form) should liken to walking the tight rope in a circus and not take sides and risk getting caught in the cross hair of a proxy war (economically or militarily).

The first two PMs with their astute foreign policies (especially PM Lee Kuan Yew) and ministers have done well in the midst of Vietnam and Korean War. I cannot say the same for the current PM Lee Hsien Loong. He spent our precious diplomatic bullets by making jokes that the air and water quality in Beijing a few years back were grouse. These off the script comments didn’t go un-noticed in Beijing and perhaps the payback came in the Hong Kong custom impounding our armored vehicles enroute from Taiwan to Singapore whilst the ship took a layover in Hong Kong. That escalated quickly from ambassadorial to ministerial level. China has sent a message to Singapore that they were not amused about the joke.

Public Service Commission (PSC) should strongly consider putting more scholars in the likes of Tsinghua University and University of Peking to inject more stronger social network between the future bureaucrats of tomorrow rather than just Oxbridge and ivy leagues in USA.

To date, I only have one friend who did post grad in Tsinghua on his family scholarship. The road ahead is foggy, and we need shrewd PM and foreign ministers. I rarely praise PAP but sidelining Tharman and George Yeo for the role was a really bad decision.

With the rhetoric between China and USA on a somewhat sour note on both military and economics, we should posture ourselves as friends to all and enemies to none.

Peter Lye aka lkypeter
lkypeter@gmail.com Safe Harbor. Please note that information contained in these pages are of a personal nature and does not necessarily reflect that of any companies, organizations or individuals. In addition, some of these opinions are of a forward looking nature. Lastly the facts and opinions contained in these pages might not have been verified for correctness, so please use with caution. Happy Reading. Peter Lye (c) Peter Lye 2023

Singapore is not Turkey - Diversifying your Currency Risk - Aug 2018, published Apr 2020

Singapore is not Turkey is a mischievous attention grabbing title with the Turkish Lira moving everywhere with no destination in the horizon. Imprinted against little red dot Singapore lies a good measure of wisdom, foresight and measures ( yes indeed ) we can take to lessen potential future pain suffered by those with interest in Turkey or Turkish Lira.

Like many Singaporean man in the street, personal balance sheet used to be denominated ONLY in Singapore Dollar (SGD) assets and liabilities until recent past where I ventured to park some currency UNHEDGED instruments after much thought. Had a tensed social debate with a secondary school classmate on this topic at his home a few New Year Eve ago. Our spouse thought it was getting out of hand but over the years we have very much learnt to agree to disagree having worked together to produce our school magazine at 16 year old. Why is there a need to diversify my SGD exposure if the intention is to retire here as it would be a natural hedge; SGD-SGD; so goes the conventional wisdom. After USD was delinked from Gold Standard, all currency essentially became Fiat currency. Absolute measure vaporized as most currency became relative to each other. Sovereigns issuing currency controlled their supply by literally printing money. Simplistically balance between demand and supply was chief in determining its price. To inculcate budgeting, the common rhetoric that they are not printing money ought to be yes but government all over cannot escape the enticement of running fiscal deficits. The small number of countries with net positive fiscal budget in the last 11 years of economic rally is proof of this.

Inter-government agreements are hardy and essential to drive everyday economic decisions. Under pressure, it could be porcelain brittle and break. Turkey is geo-politically sandwiched between East and West and has 2/3 of its important political levers in EU being a member of both NATO ( perhaps not for long in light of her recent

purchases of Russian arms ) and EU common market. Turkish Lira (TRY) is the local currency unlike most EU countries that adopted the common EUR as their local/regional currency. Barring her differential on Iran, no credible rescue was in sight for TRY.

Without belittling our ASEAN 2 billion emergency currency swap agreement, I doubt the utility of such firstly because the amount is perhaps good against very temporal market alimonies but not sustained structural or systemic issues. Hong Kong just burned HKD $2.195 equivalent in reserves today 15th August 2018 buying their currency to support the peg. This is not her first neither will it be her last if the USD/HKD 7.8 peg were to stay. As we speak, India and Indonesia are also dealing with their own currency issues as the Turkish crisis is turning systemic and spreading to other Emerging Market currencies.

Secondly, economies are more global and connected now and local issues can turn systemic regionally or globally faster. If fires were to break out systemically across ASEAN, each man for himself would most probably rule the day. Although ASEAN members have sustained ties and common interest, the firewall separating each sovereign member might prove more polarizing.

Fiat is no Faith. Anyone who claims irrefutably to robust understanding of Forex is most probably a liar or living in their own world. Global forex is huge and complex and I doubt anyone have such mastery as he would be the richest man on earth if so. Boundless talent from economics (not exactly a science to some), mathematics, physics, biology to computer have been working on it with very limited success. How to have faith in something with little understanding though my fellow Christians would argue otherwise. To them, faith is believing in the unseen.

Currency is essentially the cornerstone and keystone architecturally speaking of our everyday living being the starting point and without which the structure will fall. Being a necessary devil having an ostrich mentality isn't helping unless living in an Amish community is your cup of tea. Undeniably, as human progress, our ability to live in isolation decreases and with it the need for money as a medium of exchange. Some archaeologist believe that a healed femur is the green shoots for signs of a civilization and along the same lines, money might be proof of civilization reaching puberty but not her zenith. Healed femur was proposed because it might be proof of mutual care between humans. Money isn't the perfect medium of exchange; in fact it rates poorly in some quarters like equability but it is the best that we have. Even the communist saw a need for it.

Risk where more can be less. Markowitz, the father of modern portfolio theory opined and justly rewarded with a Nobel prize that that non-systemic risk in portfolio can be reduced through diversification. Recent critiques highlighted many limitations with this theory chiefly because the theory was more applicable as a reduction of standard deviation rather than risk. Others relate to short selling and questionable effectiveness for market makers as oppose to takers. The important theme being that diversification does reduce risk in general everything else being equal.

Singapore Government Bonds are denominated in SGD and this can be a double edged sword. Post Mexican debt crisis, central banks and governments began to realize the hazards of issuing their bonds in foreign currencies but many are still cornered to do so. The market for bonds denominated in their local currency might not exists or the interest rate could be too sky rocket high to compensate investors for taking such risks. Singapore government remains a rare majority within emerging market economies that still issues bonds in their own currency. However, if you are holding on to such bonds, there is a very remote but should never be overlooked risk of the government monetizing such bonds by printing money in very desperate times.

Pragmatically, I would do better to have part of my personal balance sheet denominated in other currencies although the plan is to retire here. In the last 3 decades, even major currencies like USD, EUR, GBP, JPY, CNY have all fluctuated by more than 20% in terms of their relative value to each other. Other currencies have seen near total collapse or major devaluation especially in smaller economies and less developed countries like Mexico, Indonesia, Venezuela etc.

Although Singapore is no Turkey, it is still better to diversify your risks as no one can guarantee you that Singapore might not turn Turkey in the future figuratively speaking.

MediShield Zero Dollar Buffet Syndrome Part I:TheProblem– Peter LYE, February 2017

The outcome of the zero-dollar rider plans offered in a big way in November 2015 together with MediShield Life after its first anniversary should surprise no one except perhaps the government and insurance companies. Excuse me for the dry humor.

Patients on such plans wanted and expected a cost no object solution to their medical problem as they felt deserving having paid higher premiums for it.

Specialist doctors (not all) tested the beach heads on how far they can bill for their services for such patients since their insurance are paying.

Insurance companies devised plans to guard their beach heads whilst moderating behavior of customers resorting to “reasonable and customary” clauses in some cases.

Government explored soft intervention whilst busily exploring regulatory and legal options behind the scene to keep health care affordable, progressive qualitatively and waiting periods reasonable.

Supply of specialist is fixed in the short term due to limited the long post grad training periods and limited mentoring slots. For some sub-specialties, the total number in private practice is just slightly north of single digit.

Demand for specialist healthcare is also fixed in the short run though it can change with demographics. Save for aesthetics medicine and certain plastic surgery, normal people are not likely to create new demand for specialist healthcare.

One of the primary reason why specialist doctors can adjust their charges northward with less resistance is the mis-match between the consumer and payer in the short run which are faceless insurance companies with their leverage further weaken by the zero dollar clause. Consumers are cognizant that their behavior is against their interest in the longer run as premiums would rise if such trend continues unabated. The lack of direct impact of their behavior on their premiums is further marred by decaying group think as higher premiums is not a direct result of their own behavior per se but that of the group as a whole.

Perhaps the department of statistics in conjunction with ministry of health and inland revenue authority of Singapore could push the longitudinal per capita of specialists in private healthcare which hopefully will not take zillions man-hours and eons to complete in this day and age of computing capabilities.

Do tune in for my second instalment which will address the options and pros and cons which will be a difficult and treacherous topic.

Airline Pricing and Singapore Public Healthcare Pricing andSubsidyRationing

28^th September 2016 Peter LYE

In “Secrets and agents”, the Economist narrated how airlines are leveraging the theory of information asymmetry grand fathered by George Akerlof who finally won a Nobel Prize in economics in 2001 after agonizing for nearly four decades after he wrote “The Market for Lemons” which was rejected by three leading journals. He might more easily be identified as the husband of Janet Yellen chairman, Federal Reserve Board although he is definitely a man in his own right. Some wonder the major topic of their pillow talk when these two bed fellows dissertated on lemons and unemployment?

Air-conditioning has been effectively used as a primary pricing differentiator as Mr. Lee Kuan Yew himself admittedly responded that air conditioning was the greatest invention of this century in a 2001 RTHK interview. In temperate climates and beyond, air-conditioning is a must as winter chill can kill. In the tropics, air-conditioning can be a difficult luxury to forgo especially for sick patients with Singapore being nick named an air-conditioned city. Why deprive our sick when it is all and sundry at most public locations including public offices when the incremental cost can be marginal in buildings that are already equipped to be centrally air-conditioned?

Before posthumous arrows gets directed at him, recognition must be accorded to his practical wisdom in leveraging on airline pricing model that rest partly on Akerlof Information Asymmetry although doubts abound that the two are or can be placed in the same room as no references were made to these academic and commercial exploits in his governmental policy.

Public healthcare pricing and subsidy rationing pre 1970s was primarily a non-issue because the middle class was not a sizable addressable market and public healthcare was the backbone of the healthcare system and private healthcare the preserve of the local rich and the well-heeled medical tourist from neighbouring countries. Even at public healthcare, the A class wards were lightly used and C class wards were the norm. The major differentiator between the classes were creature comforts like air-conditioning, private rooms instead of open wards, quality of food not in terms of nutrition but taste and presentation as most hospital meals are dietician directed.

With an ageing population over the horizon, rapid development of medical technology and cost as well as the populace expectation on healthcare, the government most probably predicted that the existing healthcare infrastructure would have to undergo rapid modernization and expansion and the framework to fund it is also not tenable and demanded a fundamental structural change.

The Central Provident Fund (CPF) as the national retirement fund liberalised the use of its fund for healthcare needs through the creation of a separate Medisave Account in 1984 as one of the baby steps. The tables were turned quickly with a sudden frenzied feeding demand for A and B class wards and an emptying out of C class wards. Such was the situation with the waiting list for A and B class wards that resulted in an unprecedented non-medical transfer of patients between wards. Many felt that CPF funds are so tightly locked up and why not use it when you can initially.

Between 1984 and now, healthcare financing has been a regular topic of public discourse and subsequent legislative changes to re-calibrate with the changing spectrum of demography in terms of age profile as well as citizens, permanent residents and foreign talents as the latter two begin to expand more rapidly. Of these measures, three defining progressive landmarks are worthy of mention.

First, the introduction of nation-wide voluntary opt-out basic medical insurance name MediShield in 1990, means testing of healthcare subsidy to lower B2 and C class wards to ration subsidy to the more economically needy and lastly, the almost seamless and unnatural quiet implementation of compulsory universal basic health insurance on 1^st November 2015.

The 1990 voluntary opt out MediShield most probably had limited subscription and success that demanded the last measure in 1st November 2015. This rebirth has many laudable features such as being universal, it is available to all regardless of their medical state as well as a government cum private insurer initiative to address the issue of duplicity of insurance coverage for those with existing insurance coverage with private insurer to a dove-tailed and more cost efficient Integrated MediShield Life Plan. Such knows no other precedent in other countries to learn from and demanded threading on untested waters and it is a deserving of accolades.

A similar initiative in USA known commonly as Obama Care which has been debated to death in public forums as well as the senate and congress, supported and jeopardized by many camps and worthy of a congress vs the president by majority and veto respectively. Perhaps the ability to side-line to a later phase most of the duplicity for employer provided healthcare insurance is the reason for the success as a large quantum of healthcare is employer provided in USA.

As for the means testing to ration health care subsidy to the more economically needy, it could have been a knee jerk reaction to ministerial observation from some quarters that some seemingly wealthy patients are having their expensive heart procedures done at C class ward to save cost. Means testing is a robust sociological tool for government subsidy rationing but wonder whether it is worthwhile as it is not common enough to sight a billionaire like Ingvar Kamprad of Ikea who proudly proclaims that he travels on commercial airline economy class. We certainly do not see airlines reacting to it. On the reverse, such mean testing can land the sandwich class into medically induced bankruptcy or close to it.

Why SMB Need Key Man Insurance

20 July 2016^© Peter Lye

After 3 decades, Key Man Insurance is still too 747 heavy for lift off in big way.

It might be a sterling example of lost in translation. Though the label is semantically correct, the impression created seems to suggest some grandiose plan not meant for commoner.

This is far from reality as it was created mainly with the smaller business in mind instead MNCs and larger corporates.

Insurance is intangible in itself. Compound this complexity that Key Man Insurance hardly exists as ready to sell product but as a wrapper for a bespoke basket of insurance products, it is easy to understand why only the brave will attempt to venture.

Unlike liability class of insurance which provides a like for like recourse like repair, replacement or hold legally harmless, Key Man Insurance normally provides a pre-agreed compensation in cash. Some quarters voice that this money does not buy everything necessary to recompensate a key man insurance, it sure can buy many things.

Key Man are essentially owners, business partners or employees for which their continued ability to contribute to the business if curtailed by illness, accidents or death can result in major business impact. The value contribution can be special skills, relationships with customers or source of finance.

The risk coverage can range from basic death due to accident only, to term for death due to whatever cause or even critical illness. Critical illness can affect work ability and this is an important consideration though it is relatively more costly risk to cover. Many have asked about risk of jumping ship to competitor or leaving for whatever reason and the answer is normally no as there is a certain level of control over the outcome rather than a random event. This infringes one of the basic principle of insurance that the outcome is not controllable or largely not controllable.

Table:Key Man Issue Impact on SMB vs MNCs

	SMB	MNCs or Large Corporate
Funding	Owner. Bank Facilities (OD/Trade) with Personal Guarantees by shareholders.	Corporate Capital Market. Bank Facilities with Corporate Guarantees.
Skills Duplication	Rarely or limited	Widespread
Process Documentation	Limited even for those with ISO 900X	Robust
Economy of Scale	Limited	Larger
Ownership/Management	More Integrated	Segregated
Too Big to Fail	None	In Some Case
Quick Access to Sudden Cash / Resource	Limited	Extensive in Most Case Especially in MNCs.

It is clearly evident from the table above why SMB should be looking at Key Man Insurance rather than MNCs as they have sufficient buffer in most case.

Key Man Insurance Cash Pay-out is normally arranged in one of the following fashions when an insured event which is normally a Key Man like issue arises.

Firstly, for business that are funded by owner and Bank Facilities with Personal Guarantors, the Pay-out is useful in case the of loans or trade facilities by banks. A wise sage once opined that wise Bankers only try to loan you money when you least need it.

In the case of a sudden skill shortfall due to key person meeting the insured event, the cash pay-out is useful to secure additional resource to re-compensate part of the resource or to keep the business a float due to sudden drop in business.

As ownership and management is more often than not integrated in SMB, a buy-out agreement using the insurance cash pay-out as a base load can ensure a more congenial management of the company without the sudden intrusion of a new management member to replace the key man. This can be structured along the lines of a Texas Shoot Out Clause to ensure fairer value of transaction for both buyer and seller.

Most SMB owners have poured in blood and sweat to take their business to where it is and it would be a waste to see it die with them. In addition, it is also part of being a responsible to your business partners and employees.

Imagine chef/owner Peter of your favourite neighbourhood burger diner paralysed by a sudden stroke and passed away. What will happen to his business, partners, employees and most of all his family members. Little imagination is needed to picture the catastrophe.

The special marinate that makes the burger unique was formulated by Peter and though many staff and partners have seen it done daily, the exact recipe was never documented. Customers started to complain that the burger tasted different.

The business started by Peter as a small street corner food cart many years ago. When it tasted success, Peter roped in 2 additional business partners who were in the restaurant business to provide restaurant expertise to expand it into a full service diner. The additional capital needed to acquire shop space, kitchen and dining area were provided by the 2 new partners and bank over draft and trade facilities secured by joint personal guarantee by Peter and his partners.

The Bank not only stop all credit facilities but recalled all loans. The business almost grind to a halt as most working capital is via Bank facilities. Bankers are logical business that take such actions because firstly, they now have 2 instead of 3 personal guarantors. Secondly, business risk has also increased with poorer business outlook.

The final straw came when the Bank lodged a charge on Peter’s estate on account of the personal guarantee locking all the emergency funds the immediate family needs.

If the same were to happen to a branch manager of MacDonald, business would continue almost normally save for a minor discontinuity during the initial period it takes to transfer and localise another branch manager. Bankers, suppliers and customers would hardly blink about it.

This is why Key Man Insurance is for SMB.

Happiness in Singapore

“Happiness is mind over matter. If you do not mind (your circumstances ), it will not matter (to your state of happiness)."

Happiness or the lack of it has occupied our national psyche with some suggestion to adopt the Gross National Happiness (GNH) to complement the usual yardsticks like GDP.

Met an extraordinary 75 year old whose radiant outlook to life might put many youthful ones to shame.

Abode for he and his wife is in the pride of Singapore public housing HDB that houses about 80% of the population. In-spite of the relatively superior living conditions in HDB compared to public housing in many countries, the occupants have largely been infected with fever or fervent wish to upgrade to private housing. The term upgrade can be a misnomer as it often involves moving to a smaller home.

Amidst ground swell about greater divide between rich and poor, porosity between class and a less egalitarian habitat, the basic principles of a just and equal society built upon meritocracy is still very much in the DNA Singapore and Singaporean. The upgrade fever is further evidence of a just and meritocratic eco system.

My 75 year old subject proudly proclaims that he is totally immune to the upgrade fever his HDB dwelling meets most of his needs although he used belong to the 20% that reside in private housing. The basic upkeep of the estate in HDB is borne by the government or more precisely the town councils. There is no sudden compulsory monetary contribution for unexpected estate upkeep.

The living environment is safe and clean and utilities like water, electricity and garbage disposal works like clockwork. Amenities like grocer, market, food and primary health are all within walking distance unlike most private homes where such amenities are placed further afield.

Public transport like the subway and public bus (that works on regular schedules ) are all within walking distance as well. Private estates are generally less well served by public transport and would attract the attendant ownership of private car that is touted as being one of the most expensive. A standard 1.6 litre Toyota Altis would set you back by as much as USD80K and that is only valid for 10 years and not perpetually like in most countries.

As we age, our healthcare needs will grow geometrically with age. Subsidy on public healthcare quantum is determined by means testing and one of the major determinants is value of dwelling in addition to income as a balanced scoring of income and wealth. Access to affordable healthcare is key in old age and dwelling in HDB might not be such a bad idea. Not to game the means testing but rules no matter how crude is necessary to ration limited healthcare resource.

His parting advice to this younger author “Happiness is mind over matter. If you do not mind (your circumstances ), it will not matter (to your state of happiness)."

The song 'Money can't buy you Love' is at best a half truth and not a prescription to lessen the pain of poverty of make poverty more acceptable. God forbid. It does buy almost everything save for a limited priceless few like life and love. On the contrary, life without money is almost impossible. Even in difficult circumstances like poor health, money can buy you a more comfortable existence and care though not necessarily true love.

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SG50@VCH: LYNNETTE SEAH & SHANE THIO on Sat, 21 Mar 2015, 7:30pm at Victoria Concert Hall

Lynnette Seah

The exquisite sound string from the violin and violinist blended nicely with the acoustics of Victoria Concert Hall. It produced a sonority that reverberate my tympanic cavity through the auricle to produce a romantic and lyrical tonality that transported me into musical nirvana.

Shane Thio

Opening number was Johann Sebastian Bach’s Violin Sonata for Violin and Harpsichord BWV 1016 which his son Carl Philipp Emanuel, wrote to his father’s biographer Forkel in 1774, describing

Johann Sebastian Bach

the six sonatas for violin and harpsichord (BWV 1014-19) was among the best works of (his) late beloved father. The exquisite rendition by Lynnette Seah on the Violin was marred in part by her partner in crime for the evening Shane Thio on the harpsichord. Having heard the duo’s performance of other pieces on Seah’s debut CD “a musical odyssey”, I can only reach a verdict of insufficient practice on Thio’s part as someone of Thio’s stature, stage fright should no longer be an issue. The hall was mostly full and the audience a fairly well informed group should had been a morale booster.

Seah had her score on stand but Thio might have overestimated his memory capacity and sailed without score and page turner for the first two pieces and resorted to them only in the third and final piece after the intermission. For a piece like BWV 1016, it is tantamount to harakiri or stupidity as his part is fully scored by the composer with little or no room for variation except for some ornamentation.

Seah’s performance was mostly probably modeled after Arthur Grumiaux and Christiane Jaccottet in the area of tempo, phrasing and most vividly the tonality of the violin. Viktoria Mullova teaming with OttavioDantone is more celebratory whereas Seah’s and Grumiaux’s lean towards a contemplative aura. Emotion is the undertone for this piece with heavy Italian emotional mojo to boot. Mullova’s sounding with lighter bowing is in line with the faster tempo most prevalent in the second of the four movement piece. Rachel Podger is one of my favorite violinists but for her rendering of this piece with one of the better informed baroque musician Trevor Pinnock did not strike my heart string for some unknown reason. Her tone was thick like Grumiaux but is contaminated by some purposeful higher harmonics which might not reflect the intention of the composer. Perhaps the problem is mine as who am I to critique a baroque giant like Pinnock.

Arcangelo Corelli

Progressing from Bach a German composer writing a piece in BWV 1016 with strong Italian overtones, the next piece Violin Sonata Opus 5/12 by Corelli was truly all Italian. The basic ingredient is based on later Follia which is one of the oldest remembered European musical themes. Although the theme is centred around a minor mode, the expression sways dynamically from a sombre Adagio beginning in the first movement to expansive Vivace celebratory dance in the middle movement before coming full circle to end with another Adagio.

Seah took to lighter bowing in the slower movements to a naturally spirited at the height of the Vivace movement. One of the corner stone of this piece being a La Follia lies in the beauty of the chord progression. I wonder how Thio could have contaminated it by improper chord formations in a few instances. Wrong chord is forgivable but wrong chord formation is blasphemous as they are mathematical DNA deeply ingrained in musicians all and sundry.

Cesar Franck

Thio reclaimed his reputation in the final piece Franck Sonata for Violin and Piano as out went the harpsichord and in came the piano with score and page turner in toll as well. The transition from baroque to romantic era as well as a piece with more virtuoso part for the piano compared to the two earlier pieces by Bach and Corelli providing Thio with more newsprint. Thio’s solid control over the sustain pedal needing sudden hold back was exquisitely executed. Incidentally, this piece was a wedding gift from the composer to violinist Eugene Ysaye. Ysaye performed the piece during the wedding after a hurried rehearsal accompanied by one of the wedding guest who is a pianist. I guess there is unlikely to be a lack of musician to rise to the occasion as an accompaniment in a musician wedding especially of Ysaye standing. Wedding repertoire has a special place in my musical journey having played at many weddings when I was young. Another Siamese twin to this piece you must hear is Wieniawski Légende Op 17 in G minor which was written as abetrothal in my humble opinion on my blog.

There was resounding encore and gifts of a few garland of flowers to Seah but none to Thio not that I want to rub salt to the wound further. Thio is there as an accomplice rather than the star of the show and he has done it very well as a reflector so that the lime light in on Seah. The encore Melodie for Violin and Piano by Gluck was dedicated to Seah’s mother and it is one of the pieces in her CD.

A Musical Odyssey by Lynnette Seah

To appreciate Seah’s long sojourn with Singapore Symphony Orchestra as one of the founding artist of Singapore Symphony Orchestra, do buy her CD “a musical odyssey”. The entire CD makes for good nocturnal listening pleasure. All 10 sonatas recorded at Esplande Recital Studio were sonically well done by my audiophile peers I dare venture to be presumptuous. Track 11 of Bruch Violin Concerto seems to be incidental recording lifted off a live performance at EsplanadeConcert Hall and not up to the sonic quality the audiophile community would expect.

Lastly, the audience were impeccably well informed with no inappropriate clapping between movements and seems to connect with the performers in like manner of ‘may the force be with you’ in Star War speak. You cannot hear, see or feel it but its presence is beyond a shadow of doubt.

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28th September 2016 Peter LYE

28^th September 2016 Peter LYE