GINI out of the Lamp or Control-Equitable Pay for Singapore Politicians

GINI is not a mis-spelling but a play of the words Genie and GINI. GINI coefficient is strangely used more widely by economists although it originated from an Italian sociologist Corrado Gini in his 1912 paper "Variability and Mutability". In essence, it postulated the dispersion of wealth within a socio-economic grouping. A value of 0 for total equal distpersion; everyone one in that socio-economic group gets the same measurable unit of value or money. 1 on the other hand represents maximal dispersion or spread. I have used the word dispersion in place of equality commonly used with GINI on purpose as dispersion measures the distribution strictly in a statistical sense whereas equality and inequality have a more complex bouquet of connotations of a moral, economic, and societal dimensions.

Lets deal first with GINI strictly based on dispersion. The dispersion of wealth in any socio-economic group is a multi-factorial matters some of which has its roots in the law of the land, migration/emigration, demography, governmental socio-economic policies, transfer payments, social safety nets which are likely to me more controllable over the horizon than factors like societal stratification,religion and commonly accepted moral mores. This list is not exhaustive lest my more scholarly colleagues strike me with their pen before I can begin. Let's first agree that a GINI coefficient of 0 is not tenable in any society including communal and communistic regimes nor is 1 acceptable as it is likely to result in anarchy mostly sooner than later. The answer is nether the mid-point 0.5 as each socio-economic grouping have different ideas on what it acceptable starting from 0 and also different threshold towards 1 before anarchy happens.

Secondly, lets attempt to thread the minefield of the more complex issue of equality and inequality. Dispersion measures the distribution of the fruits of labour without consideration of variability of efforts by individual in producing the fruits. These variability can be a result of more controllable elements like personal effort, education, foresight, equal opportunities etc. Thereafter the more tricky less controllable elements like demography, race, religion, migration/immigration, inheritance, intellect and congenital disabilities. I do not want to pretend to have an iota of how to define equality, what equalizers we can put in place and how far do we want to equalize the opportunities but not the outcome as each of us have to be responsible for our outcome to some extent. This affects people at both ends of the wealth spectrum  and the sandwich class more to a greater extend

I sincerely hope that the committee looking into this would attempt to consider these factors. Their task is not an easy one as it is not a formulae to be dealt with but a multitude of complex issues. At first, I had a sense of shame as a Singaporean when it was announced that Gerard Ee was appointed by the PM to tackle this issue as at the back of my mind, no or not many countries have seen a need to do so. Politicians are supposedly in it wholly if not partly out of altruistic reasons but I am mindful that monetary dimension of the reward have to be enough for them to lead an acceptable level of living and not be aptly tempted to corruption. However, I also subscribe that if politicians have a tendency towards corruption, no amount of monetary reward is enough for this group. When Paul Getty one of the richest man of his era was interviewed at his death bed on what is enough, his answer was just a little bit more. However, great politicians like Ghandi was never motivated by the rewards but on the converse, it was the hardship that motivated him to do greater things.

Peter Lye aka lkypeter

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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. Copyrights of all contents in this blog belongs to Peter Lye unless stated otherwise.

Singapore Election Outcome-Direct or Representative Democracy?

It is evident that democracy has become more eugenic amongst Singaporean for the rulers or rulers wannabe and the citizens of Singapore. Our elder statesman Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has made no bones that we need democracy in Singapore but not as what the West understand democracy to be. Now that that the election results are out, I shall factually attempt to look at the outcome using the dimensional framework of Direct Democracy and Representative Democracy. Direct democracy is loosely one in which the citizens participate more directly in the decision and law making process as opposed to representative democracy where citizens vote periodically for representative(s) to be their proxy for decision and law making. The two is not mutually exclusive but represents a continuum and where each state places itself along the this continuum and the mix of tools like elections, referendum employed in decision making.

The Facts
The election results although a landmark point in time event but what affects the results have to do with relevant happenings in the recent past and people's expectation of the future outcome based on their vote.

1. Creation of the Group Representative Constituencies (GRCs) in 1988 on the basis of ensuring that minority racial communities will be represented in parliament. To ensure this, at least 25% of total number of Members of Parliament ( MPs ) must be from GRCs and each GRC must have at least 1 MP from the minority race. As of now, out of the total 87 electoral districts, 15 are GRCs with 75 MPs another 12 independent electoral districts with the normal single MP or what is called Single Member Constituencies (SMCs).

• The minority race factor especially for Malays is a sensitive topic as Singapore is a small country with a Chinese majority and sizable Malay minority geographically enveloped by two large Malay/Muslim countries i.e. Malaysia and Indonesia. I have used Malay and Muslim interchangeably as there is almost a direct equation of the Malay and Muslim especially in Malaysia although one recognizes that the former is a race and the latter is a religion. On this basis, I do stand behind the basis on which the GRCs changes were made as an antidote against possible cracks along racial or religious lines and also why a referendum on this issue is not possible because the referendum is likely to run along racial or religious lines rather than a more altruistic note. Just like the various equal opportunity initiatives in USA championed by the Union in the north against the confederates in the south. However, you will notice that there is a lack of a clarion call by the minority within Singapore as well as neighboring Malaysia and Indonesia in and around 1988. It hardly won us any significant brownie points with Malaysia or Indonesia. Is minority representation a reason or an excuse?
• The creation of GRC could actually have the un-intended effect of making it more difficult for opposition to field candidates for elections as can be seen during the initial days that the un-contested electoral districts tend to come from GRCs rather than SMCs. In 1988 general elections, 3 of the 5 un-contested electoral districts were GRCs and we can say that this is marginal but if we compare the number of MPs it would be 9 out of a total of 11 MPs that belongs to uncontested GRCs. (Source: Singapore Election 1988 parliamentary results). The figures are more telling in the next election of 1991 for which 10 out of a total 11 uncontested electoral districts were GRCs representing a total of 40 of out a total of 41 un-contested MPs were from un-contested GRCs. (Source: Singapore Election 1991 parliamentary results). 
• One of the basis tenets of democracy embodies choosing a government from the people, by the people and for the people made famous by President John F Kennedy. The opposition parties have raised this point and the incumbent government has challenged them on the basis that it was not the fault of Peoples Action Party (PAP) but that of the opposition not being able to find and field candidates to avoid this problem of un-contested entry into parliament through tail coating on more influential candidates within the GRCs. We cannot deny the fact that the incumbent PAP government have two third majority in parliament to enable the party to change even the constitution of Singapore. We cannot totally exclude that the GRC system might have a more insidious intent of ensuring PAP's share of political power. Political science is rife with such examples of the danger of the incumbent misuse of their power and authority for their own end rather than representing the voice of the people. One good example is the fielding of Ms Tin Pei Ling in the GRC ward of Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong. Even before nomination day, the social media has enough noise that it is not probable for PAP not to have heard the voice of the people against fielding a relatively in-experienced person and there were public outcry that if Ms Tin Pei Ling were to stand, it is only fair that she be fielded in a SMC rather than tail-coating under Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong's Marine Parade GRC ward. Even Goh Chok Tong was very candid to have remarked before nomination day that Ms Tin Pei Ling was not really his choice but that of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The reason for fielding a young candidate of 27 years old was for her to connect the PAP to the younger voters. PAP has clearly ignored the voice of the ground by fielding Ms Tin Pei Ling under Marine Parade GRC rather for her to earn her own stripes by standing alone in a SMC. I doubt we can believe when PAP leaders say that they hear the people but perhaps that is where it stops; hearing but not doing enough. Political science is actually clear that political party is one of the necessary evils of a democratic system and this is clearly a case in point where the political party and the people's interest can run counter to each other and yet triumph over it.

2. Contest between local and national interest. Like most Singaporean, I personally feel very sorry for Mr. George Yeo. If the system were to allow the people to choose between Ms Tin Pei Ling and Mr. George Yeo, the choice would be very obvious for the latter. The implementation of democracy is far from perfect and this is one of the more "unjust' outcome of the system.

The positioning of candidates by the party on nomination day can be more important than the outcome on election day itself. One of the key differential in this election was the appearance of a number key influential opposition candidates with stellar background to match or even exceed those of PAP candidates. My admiration goes to these people for choosing to take the more unconventional choice of riding on a lesser opposition vessel instead of the almost guaranteed easier route to power, wealth and glory via the PAP vessel. In the past, the main opposition characters that PAP had to watch carefully were Chiam See Tong, the late JB Jeyaratnam, Low Thia Khiang and Sylvia Lim. This time round, we see more of such new blood like Chen Shao Mao, Kenneth Jeyaratnam,  Vincent Wiseneraya,  Ang Yong Guan etc. With such a backdrop, the stronger opposition parties has decided on a 'show hand' in polker game speak strategy by putting their best candidates into GRC instead of SMC. WP, SPP and SDP had almost all their chips in Aljunied, Bishan-Toa Payoh and Holland-Bukit Timah GRCs respectively.

PAP was not without choice in my view. They could firstly avoid a clash of the titans by placing all their current and potential cabinet MPs out of these GRCs to ensure minimal disruption to the cabinet lineup post election. This would also mean a very good chance of losing one or a few GRCs making it a history in Singapore as no opposition party has managed to win a GRC until the 2011 general elections. However, this route seems unlikely for the all mighty PAP as my guess is that they want total control of government by occupying all seats in parliament. This can be seen from the post election reaction in 1984 when PAP lost two seats in Tanjong Pagar and Potong Pasir to Jeyaratnam and Chiam See Tong respectively. In other countries, the ruling party would have popped champagne and call it a landslide win but it was a sombre occasion for PAP on why has the people in these two electorates given the man-date to the opposition. If the PAP had taken this route, it would have made it an easier choice for the voters in these 3 GRCs by voting purely on the merits of the candidates and their position on local issues.

As expected, PAP responded to the opposition 'show hand' by doing the same by fielding part of their cabinet in these GRCs. This put a heavier burden on the voters as theirs is no longer based on the merit of the candidates and local issues alone. Their vote could result in a few cabinet ministers losing not only their MP seats but also their cabinet position as Singapore law makes it mandatory for cabinet positions to be MPs. Now that the election results are out, we know that in the case of Aljunied GRC, PAP lost the battle. To me, this election is water shed for a few reasons. Firstly, opposition party winning a GRC and secondly, cabinet ministers like George Yeo losing both their MP and cabinet position. I can only make a guess on what went on cerebrally for the voters in Aljunied GRC. My guess is that majority of these votes for the opposition was a vote for a more democratic future of Singapore against the shorter term set back of losing a few good man like George Yeo. What was telling was also the drop in the percentage of popular votes from 66.1% in 2006 to 60.1% this time round. I would like to refute the reasons that PAP is facing a younger generation of voters this time round as one only need to look at the population pyramid going more inverted now than previously.

What if PAP has chosen the second option of preserving their cabinet members by not fielding them in these 3 GRCs? My guess is there is a greater likelihood of PAP losing possibly up to 3 GRCs but all would be well within the cabinet lineup. Even with this worse case scenario, PAP would still have two third majority in parliament with mandate to change anything and almost everything including the constitution of Singapore. Sometimes, it might be better to lose a few battles and win the war but my guess is this is not likely to be within the vocabulary of PAP.

Finally, 'absolute power corrupts absolutely' in animal farm speak but 'democracy without proper law can lead to anarchy' in paraphrase by the Grecian wise sage of old Plato in 'The Republic'. No explanation but fodder for you to consider seriously when casting your vote in the next election.

Please do circulate to as many friends as possible and can visit my blogfor other writings.

Cheers,,,,, Peter Lye


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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. Copyrights of all contents in this blog belongs to Peter Lye unless stated otherwise.

Plato 'Republic' on Democracy, Freedom, Equality, Anarchy and Corruption-Singapore Perspective

The ancient philosopher Plato wrote in the 'Republic' to criticize why direct unchecked democracy might not be the best form of government. Firstly, freedom by itself is a laudable value to pursue but the danger of excessive freedom of doing as one likes can lead to lost of freedom for others. One of my friend paraphrase it as 'democracy without law leads to anarchy' and it was this sentence that sets me thinking. Secondly, he espoused that equality is also a value worth pursuing but related to the belief that everyone has equal rights and capacity to rule. This could bring to politics all kinds of power-seeking individuals, motivated by personal gain rather than public good. This he say can make democracy highly corruptible that can lead to demagogues, potential dictators, and can thus lead to tyranny. All these are almost literal quotations taken from the 'Republic' by Plato.

Tracy Quek who is senior correspondent based in Washington for The Straits Times wrote an interesting article on 1st August 2010 edition of The Sunday Times which is the sister publication of The Straits Times on 'US "undermedia" undermines media' as a reflection on the fiasco in Obama's cabinet leading to the dismissal of Ms Shirley Sherrod a mid level aide and subsequent reinstatement of her job and apology from the president himself when the entire transcript was examined. Since the government in Singapore has openly admitted that unfettered press freedom of the genre of American press freedom is not suitable for the brand of democracy practiced here with an asian culture overtones, I can only guess that the raison d'tre for her article is to showcase how american brand of press freedom can lead to chaos. If this is Singapore's motive, it has strike while the iron is hot.

Firstly, all these so called evolvement of press freedom and democracy being one of the yardstick of human progress can readily be challenged as thinkers of ancient time like Plato has grasped the implications of such political arena long time ago. I believe that the main differential between ancient and current time lies mainly in the extent and the cultural overtones that has made the canvas of democracy and press freedom a modern art form. This is where we need to separate the ideas and the various adaptation of the ideas in our society and profit much from it in the process of doing so by learning from the thinking these old sages have thought through so that we can be spared the agony of repeating the walk along the same old yellow brick road. It seems that this is an almost an impossibility as each succeeding generation is likely not to heed these learnings and want to experiment in the belief that time and tide has changed and time to toss out the old ideas and start afresh. This is where I would like the government to have a re-think on the de-emphasis they have put accidentally on liberal arts education in favor of more technological and scientific based higher education. I believe that our nation as a whole is no longer living from hand to mouth and can afford time, space, money and a larger sand box on liberal arts. There is room for us to venture out of our more monolithic and almost homogenous pursuit of tangible materials in our society.

Cheers,,,, Pete aka http://lkypeter.blogspot.com

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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. Copy Rights of all contents in this blog belongs to Peter Lye unless stated otherwise.

Bach Concertos for 2 Violins in D minor BWV 1043-Perfect 10

After listening mostly to Piano pieces, I have switched to Violin pieces. An article on Gramophone Vol 88 on a mock court to decide which interpretation of Elgar Violin Concerto by soloist Albert Sammons accompanied by New Queens Hall Orchestra under the baton of Sir Henry J Wood for the prosecution and soloist Lord Yehudi Menuhin accompanied by London Symphony Orchestra directed by the composer Sir Edward Elgar himself for the defense. I was at first elated to discover that I actually have the Yehudi Menuhin's version in my collection. I was about to pop the champagne to find that I also have another version of the piece but it was to be by soloist Nigel Kennedy accompanied by City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under Sir Simon Rattle (recorded before Nigel Kennedy turned to the dark side and became a crossover) and not Albert Sammons. I had a good listen to both pieces and according to the article, Yehudi Menuhin was far too slow but Nigel Kennedy's version was even slower and had a more inconsistent tempi and I take it that Sir Edward Elgar must have approved of Yehudi Menuhin as he was the conductor and he had intended this piece to be emotively played with much headroom for the soloist  to vary the tempi.

After scanning through some of violin pieces, I stopped at Bach Concerto to 2 Violins as I was surprised to find that I have 10 full versions of it and many of them by big name artiste and I was surprised myself how on earth did I accumulate this much. Could be my failing memory as a sign of growing old when making purchases or this piece must have caught my fancy sometime in the past as about half were not purchases in recent years. I recalled that while I was younger, I had some intention to use the second movement of this piece for my organ competition but did not. First, let me pen down the versions and thereafter made some comments about the piece as there is something in common with Elgar Violin Concerto as the variation in timing between the various artistes were also wide ranging.

1. Andrew Manze/Rachel Podger,Academy of Ancient Music-Andrew Manze

2. Elizabeth Wallfisch/Catherine Mackintosh,The King's Consort-Robert King

3. Julia Fischer/Alexander Stitkovetsky,Academy of St. Martins in the Fields-Andrey Rubstov

4. Hilary Hahn/Jeffrey Kahane,Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra

5. Isaac Stern/Itzhak Perlman,New York Philharmonic Orchestra-Zubin Mehta

6. Baiba Skride/Daishim Kashimoto,Royal Chamber Orchestra-Shunsaku Tsutumi

7. Arthur Grumiaux/Arpad Gerecz,Les Solistes Romands

8. Anne-Sophie Mutter/Salvatore Accardo,English Chamber Orchestra

9. Itzhak Perlman/Pinchas Zukerman,English Chamber Orchestra

10. Yehudi Menuhin/Leon Goossens,Bath Festival Orchestra-Christian Ferras

This piece of work is popular even in current times like in Woody Allen's film 'Hanah and her sisters' and 'Children of a lesser God' and many more. This could have been the reason for being a choice recording by many artiste but most probably not in the recorded to death category.

The first movement is where you will hear the most differential in interpretation by the various artiste. Bach has marked it as vivace which means lively and fast or above 140 bpm according to Harvard Music Dictionary but the metronome was not yet in existence during Bach's time and 140 bpm did not exist in the dictionary then. However, you will find that the more contemporary artiste tend to take it as 140 bpm as the minimum and in Rachel Podger and Julia Fischer interpretation, it was more like catching the A train. Personally, I still like the versions by Arthur Grumiaux, Isaac Stern and Yehudi Menumin albeit the slower tempi, it sort of brings out the sweet aroma of the melody in an unhurried manner. Perhaps Bach meant lively more than fast when he uses the term vivace for the first movement.

I have always been fascinated by Bach music as it was in his era commonly known as the Baroque era that music started to start some form and structure and yet he his music is seems so simple but deeply matured. For example, parts of his Well Tempered Clavier is so simple that it is graded a beginner's piece and yet so deeply matured that it is played and recorded by many grand masters. With being religious, it is sometimes like the Bible that is simple enough for the simpleton and yet has enough mystery and depth to confound scholars through the ages. I think that when Bach personally remarked playing music is as simple as playing the right notes at the right time, he might not meant it as a joke really as some of his music can be so simple to be enjoyed and played by many and yet so deeply profound for the grand masters that want to have a full understanding of it.

Cheers,,,,Pete aka http://lkypeter.blogspot.com

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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. Copy Rights of all contents in this blog belongs to Peter Lye unless stated otherwise.

Singapore Women's Charter – Time for a Re-Think

Sandra Leong wrote on 'Making defaulters pay' in November 1^st 2010 edition of The Straits Times which is somewhat connected to the Singapore Women's Charter ( which is commonly known in legal circles as Chapter 353 ). Although the title seems to champion the female half of the population in general but it also included a remark on “wider ranging submissions ..... and the possible renaming of the Women's Charter to the gender neutral Family Charter. To see such opinion in print is to me that Singapore as a nation has grown more matured being a relatively young nation that is about 45 years old.

This was song to my ears as I have been swimming blindly around on this topic which I have been meaning to write on. It has gone on countless iterations made and un-made after wise counsels from a good cross section of my circle of more opinionated friends consisting of male/female as well as married/singles/divorced. After reading Sandra's article, I was infected with a rush of inspiration on a totally new angle to approach my article. By the way, all these writings are on a pro-bono basis that have no sponsor and I do it as a matter of hobby-craft. It is in that sense quite clear of conflict of interest normally except that I am a married male which could be a potential conflict of interest in this rare case.

A democratic society like Singapore that has equality as a cornerstone of our core value should never have a partisan act called Women's Charter without a suitable Men's Charter also in place. Perhaps there is cause for it to be deemed unconstitutional and struck off. To even think that it survived the passage of the legislative due process then to become law can be quite un-thinkable. Pardon my strong language and it is not to be taken literally but as a figure of speech as I am cognizant of the social climate of Singapore around 1961 when the act was passed into law warranted it.

These words sound very derogative and perhaps not respecting of the leaders then who were responsible for the legislative due process then but no dis-respect is intended. Or perhaps quite un-Singapore in a more colloquial sense but allow me to put things back in the balance. I am not an outright bigot that equality only exists in nirvana and all effort in achieving it on mother earth is useless. Or to borrow a favorite phraseology of my friend that “resistant is futile”. On the reverse, it is my firm believe that society as a whole should pursue equality in access fearlessly and not cave in on the reasoning that it is not attainable. Or perhaps delegate it to the 'invisible hands' of Adam Smith to get the job done not that free and sound economic basis is not tenable but we have to use the right tools for the right job.

There is always room for a partisan act like the Women's Charter and it can be something of permanence like the children or young people's act in many countries to protect children and young people which would never achieve equalization on its own as we live in a predominantly adult dominated world for lack of a more elegant and appropriate term.

On the other hand, there is room for partisan act as a type of affirmative action with a discernible time horizon for equilibrium equality or self maintaining equality to mushroom. On the same note, I am a skeptic of such partisan acts in the name of achieving equality over time through a serious of measures. Look around the countries that have such practices like the first nation act etc. to help the under class. These acts normally end up as permanent crutches that leaves the under class permanently dis-advantaged as they grow accustomed to these privileges that is enough to sustain them to a level of contentment and not further progress. You could say that the therapeutic treatment to get them well has somehow become an opium that they cannot do without. This normally excavate into generational spiral of being disadvantaged. In the longer term, it might also lead to the general populace to question the need to support their habit and can lead so societal upheaval if not handed properly. There is no easy answer to these issues but we need to tackle them very pragmatically and normally a broad brush legislative or policy have difficulties in being as effective due to the limited flexibility that can normally be built into legislatures and policies. There is a role that NGOs, humanitarian and charity could play a more effectively. Normally, there is an inverse relationship between the effective tax burden and populace participation in charity. Simply put, if the government tax more, they should do more socially. The comparison between Europe and USA in the 1980s is a case in point.

Along this line of reasoning, isn't it high time that the Women' Charter be re-looked at fundamentally or perhaps be renamed into a more gender-neutral name like what Sandra has listed in her article. Women, in their quest for equality cannot on the the same breadth argue that they need a stronger crutch because they are weaker now than before. I am very sure that the various measures of equality will speak to the contrary. I would support the continuation of the Women's Charter as man and woman are equal but are made differently and therefore have slightly different roles in society. This is not a clarion call for 'Me Tarzan, You Jane' sort of maxim but man and woman are functionally different on some planes that will not change in the foreseeable future like only woman can take on the gestation role in pro-creation.

On the point of marriage being a sort of special class of social contract with some vital differences like:

1. Potential off springs from such union become an integral part of this contract not by choice as the contract pre-dates them in most circumstances.
2. It is a template contract made by the law of the land. In Singapore, it is either the Syriah or civil court.

I would not open the can of worms on the validity of pre-nuptial agreements under Singapore law.

I use to joke with my friends in the legal fraternity that in nirvana, lawyers only need to perform priestly duties to bless that new contracts that they have a hand in making. However, more often than not, when things go south on the contract, settlement and litigation lawyers are there also to perform their priestly duties but more akin to last rites metamorpjically speaking.

Lawyers always draw out the pomp and circumstances leading to the breakdown from their client perspective as ethically as possible. The opposing lawyers would try to out do each other to occupy the higher moral ground for an advantage just like soldiers would do so physically to occupy a higher vantage position on the battle field. Such posturing is important as it is one of key factors in who is whiter than white and who is darker than Darth Vader in StarWars speak. In reality, it is not the opposite end of the axis but the different tone of grey that makes the case.

Under the current Women's Charter, this attainment of moral high ground seems like a due process that has little or no girth as grounds for divorce can be as flippant as incompatibility for god knows what is the real reason. I am glad that HDB and the courts have decided to open their eyes and reduce the number of divorces on grounds of non-consummation because the legal marriage was to be legible to apply for a HDB housing that takes time to realize and couples could have fallen out of love without going through a customary marriage rite. I believe that the law is very clear that a marriage registered under the law is binding whether or not it is followed by a customary marriage rite.

Divorce laws can be widely divided into jurisdiction that are 'No Fault' or otherwise. It is difficult to debate on the merits of each type but the execution is important as it affects the outcome. More often than not, when a divorce is in motion, the possibility of saving the marriage is next to nil and what matters most are the terms of separation.

The compounding factor that makes divorce in Singapore especially for man in general more painful is that the settlement is ruled by the Women's Charter and has little or no regard to the circumstances leading to the divorce especially if the party in default is the woman. This would make it look like double jeopardy of sort as the innocent party not only suffers an emotional and social set back but also financially to continue supporting the ex-wife and losing custody of their children

I believe that the groundswell in the number of non-conformance by husbands in discharging their court sanctioned maintenance to their ex-wife could be an indication to either the judiciary in their interpretation of the law and/or the legislative responsible for making the laws that 'justice' in how the common man sees it is not serve by the current framework and either of both would have to be tweak.

Cheers,,,, Pete aka http://lkypeter.blogspot.com

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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. Copy Rights of all contents in this blog belongs to Peter Lye unless stated otherwise.

Resurrecting Dead Musicians-Rachmaninoff/Gould/Karajan

Through the marvel of technology, audio-visual engineers has been able to resurrect dead musicians from their grave and have them re-perform their pieces. I was first exposed to this by a friend Ray who told me me a special CD of Rachmaninoff plays Rachmaninoff which is not done by the usual re-mastering of old vinyl or master tape through post processing to rejuvenate the sound and remove static noise inherent in recording technology of that era. He asked to me look for the CD on his behalf but I failed to find it in a fine music store in downtown Singapore. For those of you who are interested in this recording, you can visit www.zenph.com.
During the visit to the music store, I was casually browsing through the DVD section which is very unlike me as I have so called dedicated myself to stereophony and does not wander into un-chartered waters of DVDs, surround systems etc. as my limited reasoning and knowledge concludes that with only a pair of ears, you can only handle sound from 2 speakers. Being an al-cheapo, I started with the discount section and saw 3 DVDs of Karajan ( who has passed away ) going for S$9.95 each and I must confess that it was the sticker price that drew my attention more than anything else. On reading about the DVD, I was fascinated that this was not a re-mastering of his old recording but a sort of re-performance. I shall quote from commentator Tobias directly as I cannot find a better way to describe it.


"Sony BMG Masterworks have announced the release of 3 special DVD sets to commemorate the 100th birthday of Herbert von Karajan. The DVD boxes will be released on April 5th of 2008 and comprise video footage of Herbert von Karajan conducting all nine symphonies by Ludwig van Beethoven, symphonies 4, 5 and six by Tchaikovsky as well as Richard Strauss’ Tone Poems. The label announced the DVD sets as a visually appealing extravaganza, which had received additional audio treatment through a very special re-recording procedure: “With an intricate speaker matrix, a well-levelled signal was generated on stage to trigger the room acoustics”, Sony BMG Masterworks explained. “In direct relation to the source material the room signals were then re-recorded with an orchestra-like microphone array and newly balanced – a technology spearheaded by a team around sound engineers Philipp Nedel and Michael Brammann at the Philharmonic Hall in Berlin and the Musikverein in Vienna – two main performance sites of Karajan’s career and also two halls world-renowned for their acoustics.” Almost 20 years after his death in 1989, Herbert von Karajan thus continues to be one of the record company’s and the entire classical scene’s most profitable brands."

On reaching home, I slotted the DVD into a Pioneer DVDS969AVi which was the flagship of Pioneer's range of DVD players many moons ago. This was hooked up to my stereo system via a digital coaxial cable to my Benchmark DAC and etc for the audio portion and through a HDMI cable to my flat screen but I set the volume down the flat screen to zero as putting it on mute will entail having a nagging "mute" insignia on screen which I detest but have not found a way to overcome it except to turn the volume down to zero. As explained above, the audio reproduction was fascinating unlike any re-mastering that I have heard. However, the video portion was a bit of a let down as Karajan was almost perpetually placed at the left hand side of the screen and my explanation being that the video mixing engineer could have either fallen asleep on the job or something to that effect. I spent the next 3-4 hours enjoying the 3 DVDs until the wee hours of the morning at considerably loud volume but I am lucky that there is some distance separating me from my neighbors plus some of the additional effort I put in to keep the sound mostly trapped within my room. Done the al-cheapo way again with materials from the neighborhood DIY store. Otherwise, I would have neighbors telling me off or calling the police or perhaps I have very understanding neighbors. With a certain excitement, I brought the 3 DVDs to Ray and told him about what I found and lent him the 3 DVDs and it has been with him since and I do hope it is because he enjoys it and not collecting dust in his home. This is what I call commanding Karajan from his grave for a re-performance. Luckily, I did not hear or see anything eerie while enjoying the 3 DVDs in the early side of morning like 3am.

Not sure why but all these mention of re-performance against re-mastering gathered momentum . Ray had a new acquisition of Glenn Gould's re-performance of his 1955 Bach Goldberg's Variations recording by first using sophisticated computer technology to MIDI like files. The main difference being that standard MIDI has only 128 bits resolution but this modified form has a resolution of 1024 bits. This makes it possible to be almost equal to Glenn Gould's fingers and legs. This modified MIDI was feed into a modified Yamaha DISKLAVIER to accept the 1024 bits. This modified grand piano is then place in a concert hall to get the ambience and reverberations of a concert hall. The files were then fed into the grand piano and the keys and pedals then move in almost exact manner in which Glenn Gould would have done so in the 1955 recording. Microphones were placed around the piano and hall and recorded and transfered to CDs like a normal modern recording except that the you have Glenn Gould's ghost playing it instead. For a full description, visit www.zephn.com The re-performance enjoyed the advantage of current recording technology plus a stroke of genius of a dead musician Glenn Gould. I happen to have a 1981 Glenn Gould recording of Bach Goldberg's Variation done a few months before he died and both Ray and myself came to the conclusion that the two recordings sounded different sound wise as well as playing style. Perhaps an older and dying Glen Gould in 1981 has a different perspective to the piece as opposed to his 1955 recording. I am still searching for the actual mono recording of his 1955 recording so that we can conclude whether it is the MIDI re-production technology that made it sound different or the artiste actually played it differently. Perhaps the difference could be due to the piano used itself. I do not have the brand or model of the Piano used in the original 1955 recording but the re-production was on a Yamaha Grand and the 1981 on a model 'D' Steinway.

The latest re-production technology was also an introduction by Ray and it was a Telarc re-performance of Rachmaninoff playing his own compositions and recorded on music roll in 1930. I thought that Thomas Edison invented recording on Vinyl but was surprised that before that, there was a technology called music roll which was essentially rolls of paper and as the pianist plays on a special recording piano, holes were punched on the paper roll to indicate which keys and pedals were in play. Rich households then usually have a 're-producing piano' and by feeding the music rolls into the re-producing piano, the piano would play by itself as if the recording artiste was playing it. Wayne Stahnke has managed to lay his hands on some of these music rolls as many of these have vanished or destroyed over time. He then wrote a special computer scanning program to scan these ancient music rolls into a computer and then re-produced these music rolls again as the originals were in too frail a state to be used. For pieces that he has multiple copies, his special computer program would actually make a comparison of the different versions and make an approximated guess of what is deemed the most correct. He next managed to find an ancient Bosendorfer 290 SE re-producing piano and had it restored to its almost original condition. The new music rolls were then fed into this piano and modern microphones were used to record the sound produced by it. Do visit www.telarc.com for more details.

I stand amazed at the ingenuity of our human specie in raking up these new ideas to so call resurrect the dead musicians back to for a re-performance. As for my friends in the legal fraternity, it would be interesting to have a hypothetical debate on who owns the intellectual property rights of these works. Perhaps, if I am brave enough, I would openly make copies of these recordings and post it on the internet and see if a legal suit would come my way. I have looked up the covers of all these 3 recordings and they have copyrights attributed to their respective record company but wonder if it would stand in court.

Cheers,,,,Peter Lye aka lkypeter

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

Saint Peter @ Pearly Gate-Legal Angle

Four death row criminals appeared before Saint Peter at the Pearly Gates and he asked them have they been honest in their life and their answers are as follows:

1. I was honest to the prosecutors and landed here after a lethal injection.

2. I did not lie under cross examination and had my death sentence commuted to life sentence and ended here after a gang clash between the inmates.

3. I replied factually under cross examination and got my death sentence commuted to life sentence with parole possibility but was killed by my victim's relative outside prison wall.

4. The prosecutors asked the wrong questions and was pronounced innocent and lived to a ripe old age until old age took me here.

Have a good laugh. An original joke by lkypeter aka Peter Lye

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

The Singapore Pledge Debate

The Singapore pledge has moved from becoming a daily ritual during my school days to grow on my altruistic ensemble over the years. I heard somethings about a parliamentary debate on the pledge on the car radio. Shock pulled my other part of my body from my bed a few kilometers away. No danger as my wife was driving and I was desperately trying to catch up on lost sleep.

I decided not to read a singe shred of this topic so that I can form my own opinion unadulterated by you reporters and journalists alike. No pun intended. Up to now, I have kept this faith and will launch into penning my thoughts on such topics in an unadulterated manner.

To me the pledge represents a couple of things namely:

a. A state that we would like to arrive at at year X in the future.
b. A common compass to point us towards the year X destination.
c. A common moral goal post for a secular society polarized across various divider like race, religion, language and social standing.
d. Justice is blind and fair. (the lady with a blindfold on top of old supreme court has always caught my attention). Not the woman but the concept it conveys.

Singapore is a young nation whether you use 1819 or 1959 or 1965 as birth years. Not only that, the multi-ethnic composition right from the start did not help and a sprinkling of riotous events along racial and religious lines did not help. It seems that the low flash point thinner to glue the society together as one never had a chance and the low flash point thinners were used in the raw with disastrous results as we look back using our rear view mirror and hopefully wiser.

On why the pledge written by Rajaratnam and revised by Lee Kuan Yew should stay the way it is to allow it to sink deeper roots a few more generations for it to be internalized in the future generations. I am not suggesting that we continue on a track and not change it for old time sick to bring us all into destruction. By not changing the pledge which we have very little reasons to do so after such a short period will transmit to the younger generation the meaning of sacredness and longevity of some of our institutions. Seeing my two kids grow up and the youths that I interact with, it seems that we need not worry about them adopting to the fast changing environment that is becoming second skin to many of them but to root them in the areas that needs longevity together with their dynamism transform Singapore into unique society in the world and no longer the little red dot as we are commonly known as.

On the question of equality, there seems to be an existing dichotomy like granting the Malays in Singapore certain special privileges. And if I read it correctly, the ruling party might be concerned that the pledge might be used as instrument to rally SIngaporean into one be made to polarized the nation and allow racial overtones color our largely islamic and Malay geographical neighbors. Many countries like New Zealand, USA, Canada,Malaysia and Australia practices some form of first nation rights to certain groups to varying degrees.

This could also have been prompted by religious activism world wide and this worries me too and in a secular society, we should at all times be able to live as one people with different races, religion and practices. Tolerances, understanding, and respect shall be hall marks by which we live by.

Peter Lye aka lkypeter

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

Schumann Symphony No 4 in D minor Op 120

Schumann music has not figured very much on my radar for unknown reasons but one day while at a music store, I was introduced to his symphonic works and I decided to give it a try. It was interpreted by Eliahu Inbal and was like love at first sound. I could not figure out why but I recently learned that we might be hard wired to some musical forms unconsciously. In that experiment, they got a volunteer who loves Bach music. Played some obscure pieces from both Bach and Beethoven and ask the person to choose which composer each piece belongs to. It came as no surprise that the participants were able to get the correct composer most of the time as the two composers belongs to different eras with markedly different styles. However, there were some wrong answers also.

In a second series of tests, they now put the participants insides a MRI machine and used special ear phones to play the music to the participants while taking an MRI of their brain. The ear phones had to be special as nothing metallic would survive an MRI machine. The participants were also equipped with an A/B switch to indicate whether the music was Bach to Beethoven. The percentage of right and wrong answers were about similar. Two notable observations were made during the experiment. Firstly, the MRI almost consistently showed two markedly different patterns according to the composer and very little differential between pieces by the same composer. Secondly, even when the participants gave the wrong answers, their brain seems to have gotten the correct answer according to the image on the MRI.

Would love to acknowledge the owner of the above experiment but I could not recall the names and my apologies. My point being that perhaps I am hardwired to like Schmann symphonies without knowing.

Getting back to music, the symphony no 4 has two versions ie the 1841 and heavily revised 1851 with the latter being the more commonly played and recorded version. My collection of this piece quickly grew from 1 to 6 of which only 1 is the 1841 version. It was also opinionated by some Schumann experts that symphony no 4 was actually a heavily revised version of his symphony no 3 but after much listening to both, I cannot hear the similarity personally.

I would start with the Eliahu Inbal version with the Philharmonia Orchestra. Schumann being a German and Inbal being Jewish and given the history of the two races, it is interesting that music can be a common denominator that glue things together. This version is more subdued interpretation right from the first note. Inbal most probably considered the circumstances surrounding the composer when the piece was written and the fact that his wife Clara Schumann is said to have a hand in the revision closer to his death after an attempted suicide. A widow under those circumstances is more likely to be more subdued mood wise as she internalize her husband death.

The version by Riccardo Muti with the New Philharmonia Orchestra also mirrors that of Bernstein and this is perhaps because the recordings were done at about the same time.

Nikolaus Harnoncourt did a fairly recent recording with his Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and this is most probably what I would term as a catching the train interpretation tempo wise. Sonically, it has the advantage of better recording technology and also a markedly larger orchestra.

Thomas Dausgaard and Swedish Chamber Orchestra is next on my list. I have this on SACD and with a smaller orchestra, it actually sounded sweeter.

Although I have not heard the 1841 scoring, some might say that the scoring of the earlier 1841 version is like an uncut diamond and perhaps the beauty is most probably in rawness and capturing the initial intent of the composer.

The more authoritative version by Leonard Bernstein with Vienna Philharmonia is quite the opposite interpretation with gusto and much extremities of emotions throughout the piece. Perhaps Bernstein is registering the probable mood swings that Schumann was going through in his final hours of life. This is also a live recording and the audience sounds very disciplined or the sound engineers did a good job to mask it.

The last version is most probably one of its kind. I got this piece second hand off the internet and it happens to be a recording made at the bequest of the German Bank West LB when they sponsored the concert in Dusseldorf where the composer once lived. The conductor was Hans Vonk that has recorded this piece with Czech Orchestra before but this one was with a German Orchestra. The entire liner notes was in German and rightly so as it is supposedly given away as a memento to guest of West LB at the concert. I do not wish to trace its origin further but it is a good recording with enough energy to move my heart strings.

For my lawyer friends out there, Schumann actually wanted to be a lawyer but decided that he is more suited for a musical career. Perhaps one of the reason his symphonic pieces are not heard that often is because it was recorded that he was not a good conductor but I think one need not be a good conductor to write good symphonies.

Lastly, for my more religious friends, Schumann is a so called atheist it was documented that his life was the pursuit of wine women and song although his wife Clara continued to carry his torch even after his death.

Peter Lye aka lkypeter

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

Litigation Discovery

If you cannot hide something, try burying it in a pile of rubbish and give it away. Hopefully your opponent will not find it.

Arthur Andersen executive must have been influenced by the Singapore psyche when he ask everyone to 'FOLLOW LAW' and destroy all things outside document retention window.

Biblical truth-It is what inside your body that kills rather than what is outside

Before ligation, oops I meant litigation, keep everything external and throw away all things internal.

When in doubt, talk instead of write or better still include the eagles so it becomes privileged.

In Pride and Prejudice, better to be WITHOUT PREJUDICE then die with PRIDE

copyrights by Peter Lye aka lkypeter - I wrote them myself but if anyone would like to claim ownership, you would have to proof that it existed before this time and this is why I sent this email to friends as evidence of its existence.

Mark to Market in a Turbulent Market - Reasonable but not within Reasonable Doubt-April 2009

Bloomberg reports that "But the accounting change, which incorporated a proposal that would bring about US$ 900 Billion onto the lenders' book....." on the impact of such a change on the top 19 financial institutions in US which includes banks and insurance companies.

The whole practice of mark to market to instill transparent financial reporting seems reasonable and very prudent. During the mark to market process, assets are being assessed at the prevailing market value instead of the book value. Any differences that result from this exercise is taken into the profit and loss of the period normally as an extraordinary item either as a write-down or gain. The backbone of such an ancient practice rest upon the fact that the market is the correct reference point.

For listed assets, the practice seems more objective and transparent after one of the many prescribed valuation method is chosen and applied consistently based on a gambit of open, closing, average etc prices provided by the exchange and we have the valuation of the asset. For other forms of assets, objective 3rd party valuers are called upon to provide a valuation of the asset which seems less objective compared the listed assets. As for off balance sheet items, the valuation becomes more murky for some of the more sophisticated synthetic instruments, it takes a Phd in mathematics to unravel only the basis let alone the value and the counter party risks can go through the roof without a mediating exchange to guarantee and clear the trades and so as to allow market participants to trade on a blind basis as far as counter party risk is concerned.

Now that we have arrived that mark to market is a good discipline to adopt to ensure more transparent financial reporting, we shall now shift the burden of proof the other way round and for those opposing this cause to cast reasonable doubts especially its applicability in a turbulent market like what we are facing now.

Firstly, we have to proof beyond reasonable doubt that market price is a true reflection of value. On the surface, it seems that the battle is won hands down in a capitalistic view of things. Adam Smith's invisible hand and how the selfish pursuits of individuals will result in the overall goodness for everyone has not only been challenged in the communist and socialist camps but has also been quietly questioned in the capitalistic camp on its effectiveness. Chief among them is the recognition that in the short run, market prices might not be a a good indicator of value as the market does goes into a sticky phase at times before converging at a point where supply meets demands. In addition, it also pre-supposes that there are sizable diversified market participants and liquid enough market of both buyers and sellers to prevent the market from being cornered or being illiquid. One example being that it is not uncommon for some ETFs to trade against their underlying index. I believe there are enough evidence to cast reasonable doubt to the jury on this count.

Secondly, we shall examine how mark to market itself can serve as overly strong draft forces that could cause chronic declining markets to suffer a pre-mature self full-filling crash or for a bull market to spin inflation out of control through a inflationary spiral. However, it seems to work just fine when the market is relatively stable. It is liken to the doctor that is always not when needed most. Whether in a bull or bear market, mark to market is needed to have a realistic measure and a compass on where it is headed valuation wise. This is also where on a micro basis, mark to market is likely to become an innocent by stander but on a macro basis, it can be the very pill to poison either a bull or bear market. The practice of cross equity holding amongst companies is a fairly common phenomenon especially in countries like Japan. These mega corporations in Japan known as Zaibatsu are on the the surface competing with each other in the market place but a closer examination of their shareholding is likely to bring us into a spider web of complex cross shareholding which can make their share prices impregnantrable or stabilized in the short term but could grow into a bubble that would burst suddenly either way positively or negatively when valuations defy the most common logic. During the height of the Japanese real estate bubble, it was estimated that the value of the land on which the royal palace sits in Tokyo is equivalent to the value of all properties in the state of California.

There are various versions of this joke on engineers, lawyers and accountants in circulation and here is my recent construct. An engineer, lawyer and an accountant happened to visit an optician for a color test. As the optician use the flip charts which uses varying polka doted colors to form numbers to be deciphered. The first number on the flip chart was supposed to be the number 9. As these 3 gentlemen were no ordinary kinsman but were recognized as being captains in their field with their names on the signboard of their sizable firms and therefore did not give a straight forward answer to the optician like all and sundry. The engineer said that the number appears to more like a 6 instead of a 9. He reasoned that depending on how the optician has angled the flip chart. The optician reaffirm his answer as a 6 and told him that it was actually a 9 and he protested that it was the optician's fault for not positioning the flip chart properly and therefore the reference point was setup wrongly and it was not his fault. Next came the lawyer who said that it can either be a 6 or a 9 depending on whose point of view; yours or mine. The now impatient optician replied it is you who is having the test and not me and the lawyer interjected politely that it is a 9 in that case. The optician nudged him on saying that at least the lawyer is not color blind. The accountant baffled the optician when he told the optician that it can be any number or even an alphabet depending what the optician ordered.

Valuation, pricing and markets are so important for our capital market to function well that we sometimes need very basic commonsense to unravel the highly complex. We should not allow a change in accounting treatment to write US$900 into the books of the top 19 financial institutions in the US nor shall we allow the ancient straight jacketed rules to ruin fortunes and livelihood of many overnight. What we need is a return to good old commonsense.

Peter Lye aka lkypeter

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

Max Bruch Violin Concerto No 1 Op 26 in G minor-Financial Reward

Much has been said that most artist die a pauper only to have their works attain popular acclaim after their passing. There is a slight twist to this fairly popular violin concerto by German romantic composer Max Bruch or rather that his violin concerto which was his most famous work of the about 100 compositions that he wrote during his lifetime of about 82 years. He actually saw this work attain popularity during his lifetime but he was not to be sufficiently rewarded for it as he sold the rights to this concerto for a one time payment as it was not well received during its premiere as he could have wanted to cash in on whatever he could lay his hands on financially. Having a lawyer for a father Max Bruch must have appreciated the consequences of his outright sale of his work though his father did not practiced law for a significant period and spent a large part of his career as a police chief.

Another significant aspect is that he reached a career fork very early in his life of having to choose between painting or music as he was talented in both. It seems that he made a right decision in choosing music. The other significant part is his love for violin although he started his music career on the piano. He once remarked that the violin can sing a melody better than a piano and that melody is the soul of music. He composed a total of 3 violin concertos but it was his first violin that sealed his fame as a composer.

On his ancestral roots, there has been some speculation that he has a Jewish bloodline instead of Germanic bloodline for which he was very proud of. This was partly due to one of his composition Kol Nidrei that has some hebrew over tones. He went to great length to refute this and he was also a Bismarck sympathizer in terms of his plan to achieve unification of Rhineland.

Although the concerto was set against a minor key it was more melodious than melancholic in nature. In fact, some would say that there seems to be some parallel between this violin concerto and that of Mendelssohn's violin concerto which is also keyed in minor. This could have it roots as Mendelssohn was not only his contemporary but a good friend of his. Being a flag bearer for romantic era style of music, he vehemently resisted the contemporary 'Neudeutsche' of his time which promoted a darker and more complex style as opposed to his more traditional and folk style.

I have the following recording of this concerto:

1.Two of which is by violinist Yehudi Menuhin. One of which is with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Adrian Boult and the second accompanied by London Philharmonia Orchestra under the baton of Walter Susskind.

2. Soloist Ruggiero Ricci with London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Piero Gamba

3. Kyung-Wha Chung with Klaus Tennsedt conducting London Philharmonic Orchestra

4.Janine Jansen with Riccardo Chailly conducting Gewandhausorchester.

5. David Oistrakh with London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Lovro von Matacic

6.Shlomo Mintz with Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Claudio Abbado.

Of these recordings, my favorite is the version by David Oistrakh as his interpretation seems to be the most melodic of them all in my opinion. Janine Jansen plays it in a very emotive manner while both recordings of Yehudi Menuhin is most probably technically the most faultless.

Peter Lye aka lkypeter.blogspot.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. Copyrights of all contents in this blog belongs to Peter Lye unless stated otherwise.