A quintessential 19th-century salon work composed with a focus on pianistic flair and rhythmic drive. Its distinctiveness lies in the elegant melodic contours embedded within the relentless bolero rhythm.
Focus on the crispness of the articulation in the right-hand figures to ensure the rhythmic energy does not become blurred.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
Boléro de concert (Op.12) 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 Boléro de concert (Op.12) lasts about 5 minutes.
Boléro de concert (Op.12) 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 Berceuse by Georges Jean Pfeiffer, Alexander's Ragtime Band by Irving Berlin, 'S Wonderful by George Gershwin — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.