One Roman emperor is not enough for conductor Emmanuelle Ha+¯m. After Julius Caesar in Handel's opera -recorded for Virgin Classics DVD at Paris' Palais Garnier with Lawrence Zazzo as Giulio Cesare and Natalie Dessay as Cleopatra - she now brings a ruler of less illustrious reputation: Nero (Nerone) in Monteverdi's sensuous and cruel story of love, ambition and politics, L'incoronazione di Poppea.

New age art rock guru Vangelis has been making music for over 30 years. His progressive, electronic, and highly melodic soundscapes paved the way for artists like Enya -- her debut record borrows liberally from his early-'80s compositions -- and brought instrumental music to the forefront of the pop charts. Hip-O's 18-track retrospective plays like a soundtrack within a ...