A showy adaptation of Verdi's themes from Un Ballo in Maschera, typical of the era's taste for operatic transcription. The piece balances vocal-style lyricism with idiomatic keyboard virtuosity.
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; sweeping arpeggio figures that must stay smooth across positions; and ornaments that need to sound effortless, not squeezed in.
Beyond that, expect fast passage work that stays light and even at tempo, and chord voicing — bringing out one note inside a handful of others.
The player must integrate delicate voicing in the melody with complex, fast-moving accompanimental patterns.
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 sur 'Un Ballo in Maschera' (Op.56) 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 Fantaisie Brillante sur 'Un Ballo in Maschera' (Op.56) lasts about 7 minutes.
Fantaisie Brillante sur 'Un Ballo in Maschera' (Op.56) 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 Brillante on Verdi's 'Rigoletto' by Ignace Xavier Joseph Leybach, Fantaisie Brilliante on Mozart's 'Don Juan' by Ignace Xavier Joseph Leybach, Fantaisie Brillante on Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera by Ignace Xavier Joseph Leybach — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.