The Albanian tenor Saimir Pirgu was in London for performances at Covent Garden as Alfredo in Verdi's La traviata ('Albanian tenor Saimir Pirgu is young and fresh-faced, nicely effective in his singing, especially when he sings quietly. He also has clear, communicative Italian,' wrote Richard Fairman in The Financial Times). He has also just released a solo recital for Opus Arte, 'Il mio canto', a collection of arias for which he's joined by the Orchestra of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino conducted by Speranza Scappucci.

Gramophone's James Jolly caught up with Saimir Pirgu at the Royal Opera House, for an EFG Gramophone Milestones podcast, to talk about his career, working with Pavarotti and his plans for the future. Click here to download the podcast from the iTunes store.