This Fantasia by Francesco Pollini reflects the transitional style between late Classical and early Romantic piano writing. It is distinguished by its salon-style elegance and idiomatic keyboard flourishes characteristic of the era's virtuoso-composers.
At Henle 5 this is a late-intermediate piece — technically substantial, with musical demands to match. The main demands: ornaments that need to sound effortless, not squeezed in; a true singing tone, with the melody floating above the accompaniment; and fine finger independence within the hand.
Beyond that, expect Alberti-bass accompaniment kept quiet and even under the melody, and precise articulation — the difference between crisp and blurred is the piece.
The primary challenge lies in maintaining fluid phrasing through complex ornamental passages.
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.
Fantasia (Op.58) is rated Henle level 5 of 9 — late intermediate repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 6–7. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 6.
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 Fantasia (Op.58) lasts about 6 minutes.
Fantasia (Op.58) 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 Esercizio in forma di Toccata op.42 by Francesco Pollini, Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 16 Waltzes by Johannes Brahms — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.