Alkan's three nocturnes are substantial works that expand upon the genre with virtuosic demands and profound emotional depth. They are characterized by their complex textures and dramatic intensity.
Requires significant stamina and control for demanding arpeggiated passages and wide leaps.
3 Nocturnes is rated Henle level 6 of 9 — advanced repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 7–8. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 9.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 6 — meaning you can already play level 5–6 pieces cleanly. Learning it one level early is possible as a stretch piece, but more than that usually leads to months of frustration.
A typical performance of 3 Nocturnes lasts about 15 minutes.
3 Nocturnes is available as free public-domain sheet music on IMSLP — the score is linked directly from this page.