This late-Romantic/Modern work by Ukrainian composer Boris Lyatoshinsky features dense textures and deeply expressive harmonies. It is distinctive for its intense chromaticism and evolving narrative structure typical of the Soviet-era expressionist style.
The primary challenge is managing the thick, complex textures while maintaining a clear melodic line through dense chromatic passages.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
Ballad (Op.22) 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 10.
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 Ballad (Op.22) lasts about 8 minutes.
Ballad (Op.22) 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, Passacaglia by George Frideric Handel, Ballade No. 6 The Housewife's Lament by Frederic Rzewski — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.