A modern composition exploring philosophical themes of suffering and stillness. The writing focuses on long, sustained lines and delicate tonal color shifts.
At Henle 4 this is an intermediate piece that expects secure technique and real attention to phrasing. The main demands: careful pedaling — clarity depends on the foot as much as the fingers; chord voicing — bringing out one note inside a handful of others; and several simultaneous layers, each needing its own dynamic level.
Beyond that, expect rubato that must breathe naturally without losing the pulse.
The student needs to master sensitive finger-voicing to highlight individual lines within complex, layered chords.
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.
Dukkha is rated Henle level 4 of 9 — intermediate repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 5–6. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 6.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 4 — meaning you can already play level 3–4 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 Dukkha lasts about 5 minutes.
Dukkha 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 2020 by Álvaro Sílvio Teixeira, Ave Maria d'Arcadelt by Franz Liszt, Consolations by Franz Liszt — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.