Felipe Brandes' Ballade No. 1 is a robust and virtuosic composition, employing a rich harmonic language and dynamic contrasts. It provides a spirited and engaging performance piece.
Developing the technical fluency for the rapid passages and maintaining clarity and power throughout the energetic sections are key challenges.
Ballade No.1 is rated Henle level 5 of 9 — late intermediate repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 6–7.
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.
Ballade No.1 is available as free public-domain sheet music on IMSLP — the score is linked directly from this page.