Tivadar Szántó was a student of Busoni, and his Ballad Op. 2 displays a blend of late-Romantic sentimentality and technical refinement. The piece is notable for its flowing, song-like melodies that transition into more dramatic, virtuosic episodes.
Developing a seamless, legato line amidst the broken chord accompaniments is essential for this piece.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
Ballad Op.2 is rated Henle level 5 of 9 — late intermediate repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 6–7. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 8.
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 Ballad Op.2 lasts about 5 minutes.
Ballad Op.2 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 Liebestraum No. 3 in A-flat major by Franz Liszt, Canto de cuna para los huérfanos de España by Joaquín Nin, Barcarolle by Xaver Scharwenka — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.