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    The Cello Museum > Articles > Articles > Riccardo Pes: Merging Music and Nature

Riccardo Pes: Merging Music and Nature

21 October 2024
Riccardo Pes at Sycamore Gap

Italian cellist-composer Riccardo Pes playing his “Lament for the Tree” at Sycamore Gap. 6 October 2023. Photo courtesy Riccardo Pes.

Return to Sycamore Gap

One year after the tragic felling of the Sycamore Gap Tree, Italian cellist-composer Riccardo Pes returned to the site with a new composition to honor the newly planted saplings. Having composed “Lament for the Tree“ to mourn the original tree, Pes performed for the new growth, symbolizing renewal and environmental resilience. This performance marks the beginning of Pes’s latest project, Music & Nature, which highlights the connections among music, nature, and climate action.

Music and Nature

Following his emotional return to Sycamore Gap, Pes embarked on a 20-day journey across Scotland, immersing himself in nature and blending local folk traditions with classical music to create new compositions. His project aims to raise awareness of climate change through performances and a documentary that will showcase his creative process and the natural beauty of Scotland.

Here are two videos Pes has released from his time in Scotland.

Listen to Riccardo Pes’s “Lament for the Tree”

Watch Pes’s performance last year of “Lament for the Tree,” one of the last recordings to capture the wind blowing through the tree’s leaves.

Crafting Cellos from the Fallen Giant

We still hope that a luthier may craft cellos from the fallen Sycamore, allowing the tree’s voice to live on through music. A festival featuring these instruments could raise awareness and funds for environmental issues, particularly tree planting.

Pes’s First Documentary

While awaiting the documentary from his current Music & Nature project, you can follow Pes’s earlier journey performing Lament for the Tree in his first documentary.

Free Sheet Music for “Lament for the Tree”

Riccardo Pes is generously offering free downloads of the sheet music for “Lament for the Tree,” encouraging donations to the tree-planting charity One Tree Planted. Please let us know if you perform it – we’d love to see this work performed around the world.

Why This Matters

Pes’s proactive approach to climate activism, using art to inspire change, contrasts with more destructive forms of protest. Much like Ansel Adams used photography to advocate for the environment, Pes is using his compositions to emphasize humanity’s deep connection to nature. His recent performance for the saplings symbolizes hope and resilience, further tying his music to environmental renewal.

Through performances, talks, and a documentary, Pes aims to inspire positive action and raise awareness in both local communities and online.

Love at First Listen: Exploring the Work of Riccardo Pes

My journey with Pes’s music began in 2020 with his rendition of Bepi De Marzi’s “Signore delle Cime.” For an in-depth exploration of Pes’s work, read my interview here and more about his “Lament for the Tree” here.

With his interdisciplinary approach to music and his dedication to environmental issues, we are following this talented composer’s career with great interest.

How to Follow and Support Riccardo Pes

To support Riccardo Pes and follow his journey, visit his website or follow him on social media:

Author

Curator, Brenda Neece Author

Cello Museum founder and curator, Dr. Brenda Neece is a cellist and a researcher specializing in the history of the cello. Before starting The Cello Museum in 2019, she worked as a freelancer and served for just over a decade as a musical instrument museum curator. Her major cello teachers were Rochelle Kidd, Fred Raimi, Martha Gerschefski, and William Pleeth. Her academic mentors were Jon Finson, Marilyn Gombosi, Hélène La Rue, Ferdinand J. de Hen, and Jeremy Montagu.