Since writing Aura in 1994, Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg has been occupied with an impressive series of orchestral commissions; during this time he has become known primarily as a symphonic composer. Feria was written for the BBC Symphony Orchestra and was premiered at the London Promenade Concerts in the summer of 1997. The title is Spanish for "festival, or fair"—certainly an appropriate reference for the celebratory BBC Proms.

Right from the opening fanfare, Feria catches the listener's ear and doesn't let go. As is typical of Lindberg's style, the score quickly unravels into a number of independent strands. Feria is somewhat unusual, however, for according a great deal of importance to passages of chamber music within the ongoing symphonic flow. It is these moments that focus attention on specific instruments or sonorities, producing a sense of shifting character—perhaps illustrative of the work's title; after all, at a fair there are many activities and people vying for our attention. Lindberg employs a series of brass fanfares to create a sense of narrative continuity. Although they do not repeat the same material each time, their continued presence becomes a familiar sonic landmark.

Approximately halfway through the score, Feria quotes Monteverdi's madrigal, Lasciatemi morire, providing the basis for a chorale-like central slow section. Lindberg rarely quotes the work of others in his music, and the reference is a bit shocking here—but at the same time it sounds in some strange way like it belongs. This sense of integration speaks to Lindberg's harmonic acumen; his own complex chordal structures can be made to relate with clearly tonal references without losing their essential nature. Later there is a cadenza-like solo for the piano—another character in the festivities—after which the music builds to a full, slow culmination, replete with wailing horns, pounding drums, and what might pass for a triumphal theme.

Feria is easily one of Lindberg's most dramatic orchestral works. At 17 minutes, it lacks the scope of the 40-minute Aura, but the depth of expression and range of instrumental colors and combinations is exciting and highly satisfying.

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