Les Swingle Singers - "Getting Romantic" Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono, 1965 (Philips)

My love for Michel Legrand led me to Les Swingle Singers, due that his sister Christiane Legrand is part of the ensemble.  Basically The (or Les) Swingle Singers are jazz scat singers, but mostly did classical compositions, and usually the very famous pieces such as Chopin's "Étude (Op.25 No. 2) and Beethoven's "Allegro (Sonate Op; 26) and so forth.  A mixture of tenor, bass, and alto vocals, with a backing of a stand-up bass and drums, gives a full-sound that is right in the middle of jazz and classical.  Too light to be jazz, and too low-brow for classical, it's the ultimate bachelor's pad music, yet the singing is unbelievable. 

As much as possible I try to follow the late great Christiane Legrand (1930-2011) as much as possible. It's her vocals on Procol Harum's "Fires (Which Burnt Brightly) off the classic "Grand Hotel" album that first got me started, and of course, when I found out the connection that Michel is her brother, I had to fulfill my collector's instinct.   She also has done work with her brother on some of the Jacques Demy soundtracks as well.   Still, for the beginner, I strongly recommend "Getting Romantic" which is a sampler of the more 'amour' melodies from Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann, Mendelssohn, and Shubert. 

Glenn Gould -Three Beethoven Sonatas: "Moonlight Sonata"/"Appassionata Sonata"/Pathétique Sonata" LP, Vinyl, Album, 1967 (Columbia Masterworks)

Glenn Gould has the knack (and skill) to perform music by great composers, yet still, question their composition while playing the piece.   The iconic "Moonlight Sonata" sounds less iconic in his hands, as he takes us what seems to be a different listening experience for the audience.  Usually a very romantic piece of music, but on this recording, Gould makes it into the blues. I always get the impression that Gould's purpose is not to give the ultimate version of a piece but to investigate, question, and poke the work, and see how and why it operates in such a fashion. 

Gould is like someone with architectural knowledge, and he takes a building by Frank Lloyd Wright part-by-part and studies all the individual pieces that made the building.  And therefore get a view how the architect thinks.  This is what he does with Beethoven and Bach.  I get the impression that he's not trying to interpret the work, more like getting into the composer's head, regarding a particular work. 

Thelonious Monk comes to mind when I hear Gould.  It's not the melody of the piece, but how they trace the theme through their skills as a pianist.   Gould is an excellent musician.  A skilled artist. But the reason why we talk or write about him is due to his intellect when connected to his playing.  The same goes for Monk.   "Appassionata Sonata" is a dynamic and romantic piece of music, but in Gould's hands he brings out the poetry of the melody and brings the pomposity of the work down a notch so we can focus on the construction of the work and its natural sense of beauty.  Always an enjoyable experience.