Mitt hjerte alltid vanker - Fantasi

This arrangement was commissioned by B3 (The Bergen Woodwind Ensemble). B3 is a large woodwind ensemble located in Bergen with a mix of professional and amateur players.
My Heart Remains in Wonder is a well-known Christmas hymn in Scandinavia. I wanted my version to be different to the traditional hymn tune style in which it is normally performed.
One day I was outside walking and this idea came to me: an ostinato-like, mechanical skeleton of arpeggio semiquavers on which I could 'hang' the melody.
However, I also wanted to do the melody line a bit different. The inspiration for this comes from folk music and the way fiddlers hardly ever lift their bow off the strings when they play. Because of this, it is important that the melody is played in a very sostenuto style in this arrangement.
The harmonies lie somewhere between jazz and folk music with a little nod towards Grieg (himself heavily influenced by folk music) in the slow middle section.