A highly virtuosic salon waltz from the American pianist-composer, heavily influenced by the Lisztian concert style. It is distinguished by its bravura writing, including daring octave passages and rapid-fire runs.
At Henle 7 this is a late-advanced work — the technical demands are serious and sustained. The main demands: a waltz lilt that needs charm and a flexible left hand; octave passages that demand a relaxed wrist to avoid tension; and fast passage work that stays light and even at tempo.
Beyond that, expect sweeping arpeggio figures that must stay smooth across positions.
Maintaining physical stamina during the fast octave-heavy sections is the primary hurdle.
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 Waltz is rated Henle level 7 of 9 — late advanced repertoire, roughly ABRSM grade 8 and above. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 9.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 7 — meaning you can already play level 6–7 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 Waltz lasts about 6 minutes.
Concert Waltz 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 Concert Sonata. by Julia Rive-King, Italian Concerto in F major by Johann Sebastian Bach, Waltz in A-flat major by Frédéric Chopin — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.