Von Baussnern’s elegiac writing is heavily influenced by late-Romantic Germanic post-Wagnerian developments. Its distinctiveness arises from its thick, orchestrally-conceived keyboard writing.
At Henle 5 this is a late-intermediate piece — technically substantial, with musical demands to match. The main demands: big chords that need weight without harshness; wide stretches that reward larger hands and clever redistribution; and careful pedaling — clarity depends on the foot as much as the fingers.
Beyond that, expect chord voicing — bringing out one note inside a handful of others.
Requires careful management of hand span and pedal to avoid muddiness in the thick textures.
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.
Elegie is rated Henle level 5 of 9 — late intermediate repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 6–7. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 8.
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 Elegie lasts about 5 minutes.
Elegie 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 La cathédrale engloutie by Claude Debussy, Allegro barbaro, Sz.49 by Béla Bartók, Canope by Claude Debussy — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.