The tenor set off from Cumbria on Monday

The American tenor is walking the coast-to-coast path from St Bees, in Cumbria, to Robin Hood's Bay, in North Yorkshire.

He will stop each evening to perform Franz Schubert's Die Winterreise in 13 venues along the route including village halls, shops and churches with pianist Quentin Thomas.

The song cycle traces the physical and emotional journey of a rejected lover travelling away from home and Mr Pisaro says he hopes his trip will bring the music to life.

He said: "The worse the weather the better the situation because I am doing a bit of method acting to try to get into the role of this love-lost traveller, winter-wanderer, in Die Winterreise - The Winter Journey."

Physically demanding

The journey is expected to take two weeks and Mr Pisaro will be taking a video camera to record his experiences.

He said: "I am trying to make classical music exciting without making it too tarty. I am trying to get people to think that classical music can be deformalised in a way that's relevant.

"I am trying to make this music relevant to people - people who have been dumped, people who have been dejected, made redundant."

He said he expects the journey to be physically demanding and believes people who go to see him will see a different type of classical concert.

He said: "I am just curious really to see whether or not it is possible to do this type of journey."