This etude is a rare example of Russian late-Romantic piano literature by Aleksandr Kopylov. It features intense harmonic shifts typical of the period and requires a sophisticated sense of touch.
At Henle 6 this is an advanced piece that assumes fluent technique and rewards mature interpretation. The main demands: fast passage work that stays light and even at tempo; fine finger independence within the hand; and a true singing tone, with the melody floating above the accompaniment.
Beyond that, expect rubato that must breathe naturally without losing the pulse.
The primary challenge is maintaining expressive control over the rapid technical passages while navigating the thick harmonic 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.
Etude in F minor is rated Henle level 6 of 9 — advanced repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 7–8. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 8.
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 Etude in F minor lasts about 3 minutes.
Etude in F minor 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 Prelude in C-sharp minor, No. 2 by Sergei Rachmaninoff, Dumka by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Dumka by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.