Part of the ongoing Broke Dance series, this work explores the boundaries between traditional structure and contemporary harmonic vocabulary. It remains musically distinctive through its dry, quasi-Baroque rhythmic energy juxtaposed with 21st-century pitch collections.
The performer must navigate awkward hand positions while keeping the phrasing fluid.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
Broke Dance Intermezzi I (Op.305) 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 Broke Dance Intermezzi I (Op.305) lasts about 3 minutes.
Broke Dance Intermezzi I (Op.305) 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 Broke Dance Intermezzi K by Mark Alburger, Broke Dance Intermezzi J by Mark Alburger, Broke Dance Intermezzi G by Mark Alburger — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.