Largo from the New World Symphony

The challenge in arranging the Largo for five players is almost entirely one of restraint: the original's famous melody belongs to a single cor anglais against a hushed string chorale, and a wind quintet has no natural equivalent for that stillness.

This version passes the opening theme to the horn, with the surrounding chorale voiced across flute, oboe, and clarinet — close enough in register to keep the harmony from thinning out. The bassoon carries the bass line largely unchanged from the original's cellos and basses.