Mel Bonis's Op. 138 is a sophisticated example of late French Romantic piano music. It is distinguished by its rich harmonic palette and deeply expressive, sighing melodic gestures.
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; rubato that must breathe naturally without losing the pulse; and chord voicing — bringing out one note inside a handful of others.
Beyond that, expect several simultaneous layers, each needing its own dynamic level.
Achieving an even, refined touch in the inner voices is necessary to avoid 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.
Dolorosa (Op.138) is rated Henle level 5 of 9 — late intermediate repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 6–7. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 7.
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 Dolorosa (Op.138) lasts about 4 minutes.
Dolorosa (Op.138) 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 Diamant noir by Mel Bonis, Berceuse triste by Mel Bonis, Desdémona by Mel Bonis — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.