Liebling's Polonaise is a flamboyant display piece that adheres to the grand tradition of the Polish dance form as interpreted by Romantic pianists. It features wide-spanning runs and a heroic, declamatory middle section.
At Henle 6 this is an advanced piece that assumes fluent technique and rewards mature interpretation. The main demands: octave passages that demand a relaxed wrist to avoid tension; sweeping arpeggio figures that must stay smooth across positions; and rubato that must breathe naturally without losing the pulse.
Beyond that, expect a true singing tone, with the melody floating above the accompaniment.
The primary challenge lies in executing the rapid, brilliant octave passages with consistent accuracy.
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.
Concert Polonaise (Op.41) 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 Concert Polonaise (Op.41) lasts about 6 minutes.
Concert Polonaise (Op.41) 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 Allegro du concerto No.1 by Auguste Dupont, Allegro de Concert pour piano by Vincent Adler, Bravura-Valse by Archy Rosenthal — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.