Wolff’s fantasy is a display piece intended for the concert hall, featuring virtuosic passage work and varied harmonic color. It demonstrates the technical demands typical of professional touring pianists of the 1850s.
At Henle 6 this is an advanced piece that assumes fluent technique and rewards mature interpretation. The main demands: fast passage work that stays light and even at tempo; octave passages that demand a relaxed wrist to avoid tension; and sweeping arpeggio figures that must stay smooth across positions.
Beyond that, expect careful pedaling — clarity depends on the foot as much as the fingers, and rubato that must breathe naturally without losing the pulse.
At roughly 8 minutes, stamina and memory become part of the challenge — plan practice in sections.
The main technical hurdle is navigating the rapid, extended octave runs with ease and clarity.
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.
Fantaisie brillante (Op.115) 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 Fantaisie brillante (Op.115) lasts about 8 minutes.
Fantaisie brillante (Op.115) 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 Divertissement sur Maria di Rohan by Édouard Wolff, 2 Impromptus brillants sur La part du diable by Édouard Wolff, Divertissement Brillant by Édouard Wolff — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.