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How is mesto played?
The composer writes mesto to ask for a grieving, sorrowful character, usually over a slow or moderate tempo. It functions as an affect cue rather than a speed, shaping phrasing toward weight, darkness, and lament. Bartók made the word structurally central to his String Quartet No. 6 (1939): each movement opens with a slow melody marked mesto, and in the finale that mesto material, previously confined to introductions, spreads to permeate the whole movement. Performers respond with subdued dynamics, heavy unhurried lines, and minimal brightness.
How does mesto sound?
A dark, downcast, grieving sound — sorrow stated plainly rather than dramatized.
In context
The standard association is Bartók's String Quartet No. 6, where each movement opens with a slow melody marked mesto and the finale is taken over by that mournful material. The Wikipedia glossary defines mesto as 'mournful, sad'.