Despiau Chevalets has worked out how to respect and preserve forest resources for future generations whilst maintaining a supply of top-quality bridges for luthiers. These bridges are called Despiau Planet, great for music, great for forests!
For several decades Pierre-Jean Despiau has been going to the forests of Bosnia-Herzegovina, sourcing maples we need to make bridges. However, journey after journey he has seen them become rare. We are talking about trees which are several hundred years old. They have grown in such a particular environment and climate that they yield an exceptional capacity to transmit sound; sound in all its original purity, wealth, power and colour. It is easy to understand just how precious the maples are and realise that this resource is depleting.
Today, a tree is not chosen for its acoustic qualities alone. Indeed, it is selected traditionally as wood which is visually and aesthetically « flawless ». A large number of otherwise perfect maples are rejected because of some « distinctive » feature which has no bearing on acoustic quality. From these observations, Despiau Planet was born.
We cannot keep on wasting wood with such rare qualities. Despiau Chevalets has decided to radically improve their selection criteria. Why? Out of respect for the forest, which gives us its trees, and to supply luthiers what they need for instruments entrusted to them. From now on, we will take however long we need to retain trees of exceptional quality that visual analysis didn’t retain.
An undertaking which requires intense scrutiny and stringency. From this endeavour we have obtained Despiau Planet bridges with excellent acoustic qualities. They are Despiau 3-Tree bridges with extra soul. The same soul that protects our forests.
The award-winning Quatuor Tchalik stands out for a multitude of reasons, and among them is the fact that its members are siblings. Gabriel, Louise, Sarah and Marc Tchalik have been making music together since their earliest childhood. They are also all very attached to the great outdoors. As children, they would often retreat to the forest near their home to practice their instruments.
The Tchaliks care about nature. They care about music. And they care about preserving the precious resources of our planet.
Despiau Planet offers musicians a dual opportunity to positively impact the planet. First, because we choose wood using only acoustic and not aesthetic criteria, fewer trees need to be cut down. Secondly, a portion of every Despiau Planet sale goes to Alliance International, an organization of bow and violin makers committed to preserving hardwood forests.
