Schubert's D.153, 'Als ich sie erröten sah,' is a beautifully lyrical Lied setting that captures a moment of tender observation. The piano accompaniment delicately mirrors the vocal line's emotional arc.
Creating a sensitive dialogue between the piano and imagined voice, with subtle dynamic shaping, is key.
Als ich sie erröten sah (D.153) is rated Henle level 4 of 9 — intermediate repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 5–6. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 6.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 4 — meaning you can already play level 3–4 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 Als ich sie erröten sah (D.153) lasts about 3 minutes.
Als ich sie erröten sah (D.153) is available as free public-domain sheet music on IMSLP — the score is linked directly from this page.