This is a contemporary work by Cyril Plante that explores idiomatic Catalan melodic motifs through a virtuosic lens. It is distinct for its fusion of traditional fantasia structures with 21st-century harmonic sensibilities.
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; rubato that must breathe naturally without losing the pulse; and sweeping arpeggio figures that must stay smooth across positions.
Beyond that, expect chord voicing — bringing out one note inside a handful of others, and continuous sixteenth-note figuration that must ripple, not chatter.
The primary challenge lies in balancing the complex, layered textures while maintaining a lyrical flow.
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 un air catalan (Op.93) 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 sur un air catalan (Op.93) lasts about 7 minutes.
Fantaisie sur un air catalan (Op.93) 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 Epitaph for piano, Op 87 by Cyril Plante, Fantasia for Piano by Cyril Plante, Epitaph by Cyril Plante — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.