I remember that for most of the time that I ever walked around the Kingdom of Zeal, I always felt a little uneasy. It was like I somehow knew, even from the moment I set foot in it for the first time, that something was off about the place. (And of course, as the game goes on, you find out just how "off" a lot of things are.) Maybe it's the uncommon opinion, but I felt that same quality present in the original "Corridor of Time" theme. So even though the music in the original soundtrack is meant to be beautiful and calm, I always found that it made me feel just a little bit on edge the whole time.
Anyway. As I listen to this, it reminds me of that one line that an NPC in Kajar says to you: "Your power... differs from ours. It's difficult to describe, but in you I sense a strange... kindness."
Yeah. Something about the gentler instrumentation, the Eastern-sounding quality, the smoother articulations... maybe it's just my layman's interpretation, but I find it comes across as "kinder." And so, I like this almost more than the original. I think it's a beautiful piece of work.