Gary Bachlund’s work is a contemporary synthesis of the ballade form with complex contrapuntal fugal writing. It represents an intellectual approach to piano composition, prioritizing architectural clarity.
Mastering the independent layering of the fugal voices is the primary technical barrier for the performer.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
Ballade and Fugue in D is rated Henle level 6 of 9 — advanced repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 7–8. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 9.
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 Ballade and Fugue in D lasts about 5 minutes.
Ballade and Fugue in D 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 Ballade and Fugue in D major by Gary Bachlund, Cakewalk and Fugue in C major by Gary Bachlund, ...de los angeles by Gary Bachlund — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.