Five Mystical Songs - Mvt. 5

Five Mystical Songs, Movement 5 brings Ralph Vaughan Williams' celebrated song cycle to a triumphant close, and in this wind ensemble arrangement by Andrew Anderson, that sense of culmination is fully realized. Setting the mystical poetry of George Herbert, this final movement carries the weight and radiance of the entire cycle — a soaring conclusion for baritone solo, SATB choir, and wind ensemble that leaves a lasting impression on performers and audiences alike.

Commissioned by the Oklahoma State University Wind Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Joseph P. Missal, this arrangement honors the spiritual depth and orchestral richness of Vaughan Williams' original while giving the wind band a powerful and idiomatic voice in the texture.