Crossing No.4 is the most developed of the set, featuring more dramatic harmonic shifts. It emphasizes the contrast between resonance and silence.
At Henle 5 this is a late-intermediate piece — technically substantial, with musical demands to match. The main demands: a true singing tone, with the melody floating above the accompaniment; careful pedaling — clarity depends on the foot as much as the fingers; and rubato that must breathe naturally without losing the pulse.
Beyond that, expect chord voicing — bringing out one note inside a handful of others, and several simultaneous layers, each needing its own dynamic level.
Students must master the use of the pedal to create a lush, atmospheric sound without muddiness.
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.
Crossing No.4 (Op.58) is rated Henle level 5 of 9 — late intermediate repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 6–7. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 6.
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 Crossing No.4 (Op.58) lasts about 4 minutes.
Crossing No.4 (Op.58) 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 Crossing No.1 by Michio Aramaki, Crossing No.2 by Michio Aramaki, Crossing No.3 by Michio Aramaki — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.