John Cage — as much as any composer of the 20th century — changed the way we hear music. In his case, he often redefined what we call music.

At the core of all the pieces on this album is "The Idea." The idea, in Cage's case, was a sort of Zen-like No Idea. Drawn from the period of the late 1940s and on, compositions such as "Suite for Toy Piano" (RealAudio excerpt) and "The Seasons" ( RealAudio excerpt) outline Cage's nonaesthetic approach to composition, in which he sought to subvert such "extraneous" mental devices as intention, memory or construction (in a traditional musical sense), opting instead for such indeterminate devices as tossing coins according to the "I Ching."

There is a stark beauty and Gamelan-esque quality to the "Concerto for Prepared Piano and Chamber Orchestra" (RealAudio excerpt) which is rendered by Dennis Russell Davies and the American Composers Orchestra with a delicacy that is stunning. Similarly, pianist Margaret Leng Tan treads lightly on the ringing tones of the toy piano (which actually offers something of a melody at points). Lou Harrison's orchestration of the "Suite" is also included and offers hints of the wonderful wit that both composers shared in abundance.

"Seventy Four," completed months before the composer's death in 1992, is dark and static, but strangely emotive, like a Rothko painting.

In all, the inventive spirit of Cage comes across — in spite of him.