Renaud de Vilbac was a prolific arranger of operatic themes for piano intended for amateur domestic performance. This fantasy simplifies the complex orchestration of Donizetti into a playable, charming piano narrative.
At Henle 5 this is a late-intermediate piece — technically substantial, with musical demands to match. The main demands: ornaments that need to sound effortless, not squeezed in; a true singing tone, with the melody floating above the accompaniment; and continuous sixteenth-note figuration that must ripple, not chatter.
Beyond that, expect precise articulation — the difference between crisp and blurred is the piece.
Focus on the graceful execution of the ornamental turns and maintaining a balanced, singing quality in the right-hand melody.
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 sur 'Lucrezia Borgia' 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 Fantaisie sur 'Lucrezia Borgia' lasts about 6 minutes.
Fantaisie sur 'Lucrezia Borgia' 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 sur 'L'elisir d'amore' by Renaud de Vilbac, Fantaisie sur 'I Capuleti e i Montecchi' by Renaud de Vilbac, Fantaisie sur 'Don Juan' by Renaud de Vilbac — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.