Désir is a highly expressive work by Alkan that demonstrates his lyrical capacity beyond his virtuosic technical etudes. It is marked by its delicate chromaticism and elegant, flowing line.
At Henle 6 this is an advanced piece that assumes fluent technique and rewards mature interpretation. The main demands: a true singing tone, with the melody floating above the accompaniment; rubato that must breathe naturally without losing the pulse; and chord voicing — bringing out one note inside a handful of others.
Beyond that, expect careful pedaling — clarity depends on the foot as much as the fingers, and fine finger independence within the hand.
Managing the subtle chromatic inner voices while maintaining the legato melody is the primary challenge.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
A level or two down with the same spirit — ideal if this piece is still out of reach.
Where this piece's skills lead: slightly harder works making similar technical demands.
Lesser-known works by the same hand, at a comparable level.
Desir is rated Henle level 6 of 9 — advanced repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 7–8. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 8.
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 Desir lasts about 4 minutes.
Desir is available as free public-domain sheet music on IMSLP — the score is linked directly from this page.
Pieces at a comparable difficulty and character include Bourrée d'Auvergne by Charles-Valentin Alkan, Benedictus by Charles-Valentin Alkan, Bombardo-Carillon by Charles-Valentin Alkan — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.