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How is pesante played?
The performer adds weight and emphasis, leaning into each note so the line feels laden and deliberate. Pesante is primarily an articulation-and-character marking: it asks for firm, ponderous attack and often a slight broadening, without specifying an exact tempo. Composers use it to give a passage gravity or massiveness, sometimes in contrast with a lighter surrounding texture. It is the opposite impulse to leggiero ('light').
How does pesante sound?
The music sounds heavy, emphatic and weighted, each note pressed down.
In context
Standard glossaries define pesante as 'heavy, ponderous' (and sometimes 'slow'). It is a common general-purpose character and articulation word and is not tied to any single composer.