Schreker’s 'Der Wind' is a virtuosic, expressionistic sketch that pushes the boundaries of early 20th-century piano technique. Its distinctive style features rapid, swirling figurations and massive, crashing chords.
At Henle 7 this is a late-advanced work — the technical demands are serious and sustained. The main demands: fast passage work that stays light and even at tempo; big chords that need weight without harshness; and chord voicing — bringing out one note inside a handful of others.
Beyond that, expect sharp dynamic and character contrasts held together in one arc.
The primary challenge is balancing the wide-spanning arpeggiated figures with powerful, resonant chordal sections.
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.
Der Wind 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 10.
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 Der Wind lasts about 5 minutes.
Der Wind 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 Bulgarische Suite by Pancho Haralanov Vladigerov, Ballad (Das Geisterschiff) by Carl Tausig, Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue by Johann Sebastian Bach — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.