Prokofiev's 'Autumnal' is a haunting, harmonically complex work that evokes a sense of deep, late-season melancholy. It features a sophisticated layered texture that requires significant nuance to balance correctly.
The major challenge is balancing the intricate polyphonic lines while maintaining the piece's somber, rubato-heavy mood.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
Autumnal (Op.8) 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 9.
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 Autumnal (Op.8) lasts about 4 minutes.
Autumnal (Op.8) 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 Toccata in D minor by Sergei Prokofiev, Autumnal Sketch by Sergey Prokofiev, Piano Sonata No. 14 'Moonlight', No. 2 by Ludwig van Beethoven — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.