Debussy's early 'Ballade' (originally titled 'Ballade slave') showcases his evolving harmonic language and penchant for fluid, modal textures. It remains an elegant example of his pre-Impressionist melodic writing.
The primary challenge lies in the refined pedaling and voicing required to balance the delicate, layered textures.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
Ballade 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 lasts about 7 minutes.
Ballade 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 Clair de lune by Claude Debussy, Berceuse héroïque by Claude Debussy, La cathédrale engloutie by Claude Debussy — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.