This étude by the Polish composer Emanuel Kania reflects the deeply felt Romanticism of the mid-19th century. It features idiomatic keyboard writing that demands significant expressive control.
At Henle 7 this is a late-advanced work — the technical demands are serious and sustained. The main demands: a left hand with real melodic or rhythmic responsibility of its own; sweeping arpeggio figures that must stay smooth across positions; and rubato that must breathe naturally without losing the pulse.
Beyond that, expect a true singing tone, with the melody floating above the accompaniment, and chord voicing — bringing out one note inside a handful of others.
The player must master the fluid coordination between the left-hand melodic lines and complex right-hand arpeggiation.
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.
Etude de concert (Op.31) is rated Henle level 7 of 9 — late advanced repertoire, roughly ABRSM grade 8 and above. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 9.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 7 — meaning you can already play level 6–7 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 Etude de concert (Op.31) lasts about 4 minutes.
Etude de concert (Op.31) 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 Dumka by Mily Balakirev, Ein Märchen by Josef Suk, Elegy No.2 by Franz Liszt — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.