A virtuosic pedagogical work by Czerny that explores the fugal form through a highly technical, exercise-based lens. It serves as a bridge between structured counterpoint and the Romantic demand for brilliance.
Precision of rhythm and clarity of subject entry are paramount throughout the fugal writing.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
Capriccio à la fuga (Op.89) is rated Henle level 6 of 9 — advanced repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 7–8. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 9.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 6 — meaning you can already play level 5–6 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 Capriccio à la fuga (Op.89) lasts about 5 minutes.
Capriccio à la fuga (Op.89) 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 Beliebte Thema mit Variationen im brillanten Salon-Styl by Carl Czerny, 'Fantasie Brillante sur des motifs d'opéra ‘Le nozze di Figaro’ by Carl Czerny, 2 Grandes fantaisies sur les motifs de 'Guillaume Tell' by Carl Czerny — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.