Robert Davidson’s Fanfare is a virtuosic contemporary piece that explores wide-ranging keyboard textures. It stands out for its bold, percussive writing and sudden shifts into delicate, atmospheric sections.
At Henle 5 this is a late-intermediate piece — technically substantial, with musical demands to match. The main demands: wide stretches that reward larger hands and clever redistribution; sweeping arpeggio figures that must stay smooth across positions; and sharp dynamic and character contrasts held together in one arc.
Technical proficiency in executing expansive, wide-span arpeggios is critical for this piece.
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.
Fanfare is rated Henle level 5 of 9 — late intermediate repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 6–7. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 7.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 5 — meaning you can already play level 4–5 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 Fanfare lasts about 3 minutes.
Fanfare 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 Fantaisie-Impromptu in C-sharp minor by Frédéric Chopin, Death of the Machines, W.42 by George Antheil, Dance by Aleksandr Tcherepnin — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.