How we met: CECILIA BARTOLI AND JEAN-YVES THIBAUDET

The mezzo soprano Cecilia Bartoli, 33, was born in Rome and groomed for stardom from an early age by her mother, a voice coach, and is now one of the most sought-after singers in the world, both for opera and recitals. She has won many awards including two Grammys. Her latest album, 'Cecilia Bartoli - Live in Italy', was recorded with the French pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet. Thibaudet, 37, is recognised as a leading piano virtuoso and has performed with almost every major orchestra worldwide. His CDs also include music by the jazz composer, Bill Evans. He was featured playing two Schubert impromptus on the soundtrack for the film 'Portrait of a Lady'. Aged 37, he has homes in Paris and New York

CECILIA BARTOLI: Maybe Jean-Yves can remember when we first met but for me it's not that important - we seem to have had this lovely relationship for years. The chief thing we share is a sense of humour. It's always fun working with Jean-Yves. But being happy doesn't mean you don't take the work seriously. Behind the laughter, Jean-Yves is completely dedicated and professional. Audiences see only the concert. They don't see the hours and weeks of work which go into it.

We rarely disagree but I do get upset with him about his smoking. He smokes far too much, although he's too considerate to smoke if I'm in the same room. In rehearsal the minute there's a break, he goes off to a corner somewhere, out of my sight, and I can guarantee that he's got out his cigarettes and his mobile phone.

For us, the Vincenza project - recording a CD as well as a film for television - was hard work. For months beforehand, we were phoning and faxing each other, working out the programme. The Teatro Olimpico in Vincenza was designed by the great Palladio and it's a jewel of a theatre. It's not nearly as famous as La Scala, but when I discovered it last year it took my breath away, and I knew it was perfect for the project with Jean-Yves. I'll never forget his face when he walked into the Olimpico for the first time. The ceiling has clouds painted all over it, and there are statues and amazing papier- mache decorations. There's also an incredible perspective which is almost impossible to describe because it's trompe l'oeil. I was so excited to share it all with Jean-Yves, so we started exploring under the area where there was all this exquisite papier-mache. As usual, we were laughing loudly and Jean-Yves was getting excited about trying out the acoustics when suddenly we heard a man shouting. It was the janitor, screaming at us that it was absolutely forbidden to walk in that area. No one had warned us, so we were both rather shocked, but we saw the funny side too.

Food is important in our relationship. We both love eating but, unlike me, Jean-Yves doesn't put on weight. Our most memorable meal together was in Argen-tina. Although I don't often eat meat, this was an opportunity to order a steak which would be very good quality. We each ordered a centre-filet, not realising that an Argentinian steak is quite different to a small French fillet steak. When they arrived, each one was big enough for six. "It's not possible for one person to eat this!" I said, and neither of us could finish it, but the meat was delicious.

I discovered recently that the father of Jean-Yves was a Chevalier de Vin, which is interesting for me because Claudio, my fiance, makes Bardolino near Lake Garda. Mamma really enjoyed cooking a special lunch for Jean-Yves and his friend when he was in Rome. Only special visitors get three different kinds of pasta! She's a fantastic cook and it was so nice to welcome him into our family that way. At the end of the meal, Mamma went out of the room and came back with a beautiful red cashmere sweater which she gave to Jean-Yves because she knew red was his favourite colour. He loves clothes. I always joke with him that even in rehearsal he looks as if he's stepped out of a magazine. I've never seen him looking scruffy.

Both of us have a job which we have to do somewhere else, but Jean-Yves travels more than I do. We singers carry our instrument inside us. It's a very delicate instrument so I have to take care and pace myself. If I have a cold I can't sing, but if Jean-Yves has a cold, maybe he might not feel so brilliant but he can still play the piano. Physically, his schedule is very tough. Another city, another concert. It's hard for a singer to do that. You have to rest your voice in between. I could never think of Jean-Yves resting.

There has to be trust between a singer and a pianist, but because we're close friends as well as colleagues, I feel his support more than if I was working with just another pianist - no matter how brilliant. "Simpatico" is the best way of describing what happens between us. When we're performing together, there's never any question of individual stars. Neither of us is "bigger" than the other. The only thing that matters is giving expression to the music.

JEAN-YVES THIBAUDET: I first saw Cecilia when she made her debut in New York about six years ago. I adore opera and immediately became a fan of hers. We share the same recording company, and the Head of A&R at Decca at the time, said: "Shall I introduce you?" I remember thinking, "My God, yes please!" Cecilia is one of those rare people who, when you're chatting over a cup of coffee, makes you feel you're the most important person in the world. I don't know many others who do that.

I thought it would be great if one day we could work together, but time passed and we were both busy with our own careers. A couple of years after that New York meeting, I changed from IMG to Cecilia's manager, a much more personal kind of management than a big organisation. From then on, it became a pri- ority for the two of us to work together. But as we both travel so much and have so many commitments far ahead, it still needed a lot of thought.

We met sometimes with our manager, or in dressing rooms whenever we had the chance to meet after a performance, but our friendship only developed once we started planning recitals together. Eventually we found ourselves a project in Houston - a charity concert in aid of Rice University. But before going ahead I met with Cecilia in Alice Tully Hall, where we arranged to try out some ideas.

I was so nervous when she arrived. Not only did I have to convince Cecilia that we were good with each other, I also had to convince Silvana, her mother, who is also her singing teacher, and who came along too. But as soon as she saw me, Cecilia made it easy for me to relax. She has such a smiley personality, it's impossible not to feel comfortable in her company. We spoke in Italian with each other and worked on some French songs by Ravel, Delibes and Bizet, as well as Bellini and Rossini.

I remember that she was wearing sneakers - not the image most of us have of a diva. But I soon discovered Cecilia is not one to take herself too seriously. Playing piano for her was unbelievable. Time passed so quickly. It seemed we'd been together for minutes rather than two hours. Singing is just like breathing to her. It's not just that she has a beautiful voice and a brilliant technique. When I play piano, I'm always looking for new colours to put into the music and it's the same with Cecilia's singing. She finds different colours in her voice. The whole experience of rehearsing with her was much more interesting and empathetic than I expected. It was a bit like the most enjoyable game of ping-pong. Both of us laughed a lot. It was magic. And as soon as we finished we both said, "Yes, let's do it!" Of course, Silvana had to approve, but she was just as happy as we were.

Houston turned out to be a big event for the university. Everybody knew who Cecilia was, but they didn't know me at all. Before any concert, most musicians feel a certain level of anxiety, but Cecilia has a very generous habit of winking at me just before we go on. She also has the capacity to giggle, so it's hard to feel anxious for very long. And once the performance starts, all we feel is tremendous joy with the music.

Afterwards, whether there are three or 300 people waiting to see her, Cecilia will greet them all and spend time chatting and signing programmes. Sometimes there are fans Cecilia recognises and she'll always remember to ask them about their cats or whatever it was they talked about last time. I know how tired I am after a concert so I'm sure Cecilia is too, but she always says, "Jean-Yves, the people who come to see us are the ones who make our life and career." And of course, she's right.

Last year, I was at the Met in New York, working in a production of Fedora. Cecilia was on tour in Europe when her pianist took ill. Before she asked anyone else she called me to see if I could take over for her concert in Lyon. It turned out it was just possible for me to appear at the Met, take Concorde from New York to Paris and then fly on to Lyon. Completely mad, but, for Cecilia, I was willing to do it. I arrived late and the 7.45pm start had to be put back to 8.15. There was no time to check the acoustics or try the piano, but Cecilia, as usual, was laughing. She said that I should just have a shower and not even bother changing into those "crazy black tails". In the end, it was a wonderful experience. Our chemistry is so perfect that we just did what we knew we had to do. We didn't have to talk about it.

Sometimes we don't see each other for months, but as soon as we do, we just pick up where we left off. When I did a recital in Rome, her entire family came to my concert, and then turned up in the dressing room. Then Silvana invited me to their home, where she cooked an amazing lunch with three kinds of pasta, followed by a delicious meat dish. She's well known as an outstanding cook. Her family is hugely important in Cecilia's life. They're very close. And now she also has her boyfriend, Claudio, to take care of her. Cecilia's always been careful to balance the demands of her career and her need for quiet, private time. Claudio has a farm and makes wine. With him, I feel, Cecilia is in very good hands.

'Cecilia Bartoli - Live in Italy' is out now on the Decca label