Zen Garden: Inspiring Creation

by Heather Phares Though the title Zen Garden: Inspiring Creation suggests a collection of Asian or Asian-inspired music, the album actually features well-known classical piano pieces mixed with recordings of a forest stream. Despite the slight confusion over what the album promises and what it delivers, it's actually quite a pleasant, relaxing collection; pieces such as Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata: Adagio Sostenuto, Satie's Trois Gymnopedies: Lent et Douloureux, and Debussy's The Little Shepherd work well in the open-air atmosphere that the nature recordings provide. Liszt and Schubert are among the other composers represented on this enjoyable and soothing -- if not exactly Zen -- compilation.