This modern Ballad uses lush harmonic colors and a free, episodic structure. It is a work aimed at the reflective performer, emphasizing touch and tonal control over sheer speed.
The student should practice the voicing of the large chords to ensure the harmonic color is balanced and clear.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
Ballad is rated Henle level 4 of 9 — intermediate repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 5–6. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 6.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 4 — meaning you can already play level 3–4 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 Ballad lasts about 4 minutes.
Ballad 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 Ave Maria d'Arcadelt by Franz Liszt, Ave Verum Corpus de Mozart by Franz Liszt, Albumblatt by Johannes Brahms — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.