Feria

17-minute work for full orchestra commissioned by the Finnish Broadcasting Company. First performed by the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra at the BBC Proms in August 1997.

The composer comments:“ The word Feria is Spanish for an outdoor festival or fair, the exuberance of which is alluded to in this work. In the fast opening section the explosive, rhythmic ideas, especially the trumpet fanfares which are a recurring motif in the piece, herald a lively public spectacle. The mainly slower-paced central section reaches a focal point which may well be recognised as a chord progression from Monteverdi’s ‘Lasciatemi morire’ (Lament of Arianna).